Reminiscence of Final Fantasy
by garbage21
Summary: There are many FF 7 novels on the net today, but I thought why not another one. Mine is different from the other ones I've read, a different interpretation, a fresh perspective. Have a read and see what you think. Read and review please.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Chapter One

The Reactor Assault

She rose to her feet as she suddenly realised where she was. The surroundings had escaped her for an all too brief moment as she laid her eyes upon the raw energy that leaked from the ground in a translucent green haze. She tightened her arm around the flower basket that she held by the wicker handle, drawing them closer towards her in a gesture of comfort.

The flowers in the woven basket were blooming radiantly as they attracted to the bright green orbs of light in an enigmatic magical connection. The gentle haze, so elegant and peaceful in flight, were drawn to her as though she were a conductor, a conduit of peace. Never before had she felt so radiant, so colourful and so vibrant. Aeris, the flower girl, felt the sheer power surging within her own life force, bringing her to vitality suddenly in a way that she had never experienced before. The feeling was astonishing. This dark place had a life-force calling her from beneath the streets, an almost tangible energy emanating from a place beneath the sewers of the city, below the surface of the world.

The alley was unspectacular. A lonely place, with brick built upon brick, built upon steel, defiant and unholy, a work of creation in this day and age. As she backed away from the centre of incomprehensible energy, she began to wonder if she wasn't dreaming, her mind lost in escalading darkness.

She was unsatisfied with the thought that her senses were merely being toyed with, yet there was nothing more that she could feel within the air. The precious few moments and her perception of the dancing green orbs had all but disappeared from reality, and existed now within her body as a feeling of awareness that something very magical had just happened.

Shaking off these slumbering thoughts that had swallowed her time, she turned her attention back towards the road and the light, the green mist still in her mind's eye, but slowly fading as her awareness merged back into reality. She noticed the shadows that crept up so threateningly, slowly drifting back behind her as she approached the street lights. She felt the shivers down her back as the sound of her footsteps echoed in the dark. But no matter how afraid she was of the horrible alley, the feeling evolved into something more resembling pity, as she recognised the brightness of the world up ahead.

From the gloom of the alleyway, she emerged into the fantastical city of Midgar and was immediately overwhelmed by it, as the great sights revealed themselves to her from all directions, like sudden rushes of adrenaline, carving her mind open to the magnificence and wonder of the world she lived in. Her mind had to absorb in slow stages, simply unable to digest the sheer enormity of it all.

She firstly felt the floor beneath her feet change in texture and saw that it was made of old stone forming a huge single roundabout that led away in all directions across the grand square of this sector, in a spider-like formation, laying its legs between the grand commercial buildings and providing the valuable links across the city. Strange cars blasted by her from both directions, like mechanical bullets from a gun, spouting out clouds of smoke and sparks as their noisy engines worked. Citizens crossed to and fro in between them, seemingly ignoring the danger of the heavy traffic. Shops, bars, theatres and building blocks sat on every corner in the grand square, each one marking its identity as a bright neon light, personalising themselves within the city on massive billboards and projections. Places such as the Goblin bar and the cake shop, were familiar to Aeris as places she had visited in the past. Streetlamps and huge banners added to the scale of this sector market district of Midgar, illuminating this part of the city like a bright bulb to the world, competing as the greatest city on the planet.

The walls of the Goblin bar to her immediate right and the ancient grand theatre to her left formed the alleyway where she had emerged. The theatre was a huge dark building, seemingly abandoned from the look of the outside, its ten storeys appearing almost archaic and gothic; a shell of a building lost in the modern world. A gigantic red banner draped its cloth down the entirety of the outside and advertised the world famous theatrical performance; 'Loveless'.

As Aeris examined the banner as she had done many times before, she recounted the story, the play that she had wanted to experience ever since she was a small child from the slums beneath this world of the rich. The performance presented a massive symbol of hope in her mind, reaching to her heart, and telling her that anything was possible. It was the tale of a young boy who left his home in the city to find love in the outer world. He found the woman of his dreams but discovered that she alone wasn't enough, and therefore had to depart from that world to search for more. The tale had grown on Aeris due to the similarities she felt between herself and the main character. She often wondered how it would feel to go through life to find that she didn't belong to anyone or anything. It was a disturbing, yet fascinating insight into the power of the heart.

Ahead of her, across the grand square of the district she saw the giant arch that was the very centrepiece of Midgar's population, a bulky, great white stone landmark that embraced a golden clock face displaying the standard time of the city that was the same on every pocket watch, wristwatch and antique clock within the boundaries of the city. This time was also standard for the rest of the world under the Midgar's control, and so this physical symbol was in essence, the very centre of the world for most people. At the turn of the year, the mayor himself would gather his board members and appraise the members of the public at this very centre which was, of course one of the safer areas in Midgar, policed by many soldiers. The event was a monstrous façade of humbleness, an appraisal to the loyal citizens of the rich world and the biggest shambles in the history of Midgar. If she were honest, Aeris cared little for these affairs.

Through the arch, she saw the broad, golden fountain, and some of the older children playing around it. The floor around the fountain was chequered in black and white squares, much like a chess board, and was made of solid marble. They were beautifully maintained and presented to give a proud, artistic impression of this city centrepiece. The whole area was a superb replica of a fantasy portrait rumoured to have been created over a century ago by a very famous person. The centre was all shaded now by the night sky, the subtle glow of streetlights and the green neon signs grinning brilliantly as if twinkling artificial stars.

Further in the distance, the sky-scraping buildings continued onwards like jet black mountain peaks against a starry backdrop until she saw the enormous centre building of Midgar, the incredible and awe-inspiring Shinra building set against the night sky. It was a huge colossus of a structure, seventy floors of offices, workshops and other horrors, where the great electric company pumped out power for millions of civilians and handled their worldwide affairs behind the scenes, with their huge monopoly over Mako energy. Here they controlled the entire city as it stretched out in all directions through eight vast sectors, all cramped together in a huge network of steel and stone, an architectural nightmare to the untrained eye, yet at the same time amazingly clever and complex to the creators and constructors.

On the very edges of Midgar's twenty-mile circular spread, eight incredible towers stood like candles around a devil's circle, pumping Mako steam into the air in giant gusts of blue cloud. These eight were Midgar's power supply, the lifeblood of the city. This was the artificial force that supplied Midgar with its Mako energy, the worlds most popular and efficient power source. It was through this monopoly of Mako, that the president of Shinra had become the world's most powerful man and had made his corporation the great force that it was today. He more or less controlled the entire planet, and dictated other people's affairs as he saw fit. The Shinra Corporation were the largest organisation ever to have existed and it was all because of the abundant Mako energy, sucked from beneath the planet and processed inside these arcane reactors. They continued working night and day, protected around the clock, as they lined Shinra's pockets and dropped even more untold billions into their already infinite funds.

In a neighbouring sector, the guards of the train platform were eagerly expecting the arrival of the supply train from the other side of the city. Supposedly, the train housed new automations for the Mako reactor's pumps. The higher ups had been expecting the shipment for a long time now, and Heidegger of the Shinra board had personally promised their arrival within the month. The machines that controlled the pumping stations were now wearing down with the sheer effort, after decades of generating power for the populace. How could the Shinra expect maximum output for Midgar, when they were working with such shoddy equipment? The number one Mako reactor had a long history of severe malfunction and nothing had ever been done about it. They were already a long way behind the other seven reactors. No bonus for anyone this year.

There were two guards at the station, but they didn't get on with each other. They stood a fair distance apart, refusing to chat or converse in any civil manner, but neither party knew why. Perhaps it was the boredom of this job, for there was nothing to do but stand around all day watching the trains go to and fro. What either guard wouldn't have given for some relief, a bit of action.

Behind the station was the powerful image of the huge Mako reactor, looking even larger up close than it had done from the centre of the city. It was at least a hundred metres high from the ground, with the foundations plunging down even further, deep into the earth where the complex machinery could extract the precious Mako from beneath the crust of civilisation. It was a dominating sight, but one that the guards got used to after seeing it day after day.

The guard nearest to the train tunnel suddenly heard the whistle. It was a sound that was unmistakable, and marked a final end to their boredom. The train had arrived, the last train of the day. Finally there would be some purpose to their employment. He shouted over to the other guard, who turned and shrugged.

The massive train, powered by the electric cables above, pulled into the station like a great iron beast before slowly grinding its brakes onto the rail, spraying steam into the air as the clamps hit the metal below. The thing didn't look much like a transport and was more like a streamlined passenger car roughly converted into a carrier. It was a damn old machine, and it was surprising to see such an antique still on the rails. As the speed ceased to nothing so did the noise and eventually the great iron beast halted parallel to the platform.

The guard walked to the front of the train, sighing heavily at the horrible design of the thing. He would bet that it didn't have its own power lifts, which would mean even more work for himself and his miserable comrade. Little known to him, he would never get the chance to get to lift any machinery.

As he lifted the heavy compartment door by the handle near the front of the train, he was surprised to be greeted with the cheeky smile of a young man, who then jumped out of the carriage and punched him square on the jaw, landing on top of him as they both stumbled back onto the platform. Before the guard knew what was happening, he was hoisted over the attacker's shoulder hitting the stone floor hard and slipping into unconsciousness.

Further down the train another youngster dived from a different compartment onto the platform. She focused on the remaining guard, who was running towards her. Preparing for the assault, she took up a stance and waited.

The guard approached with his baton hoisted above his head, but before he could strike a blow, he was kicked to the floor. The agile girl dived onto him and bashed him around the face with a solid gauntlet on her arm.

From a third hidden door, a fatter young man appeared. He looked immediately confused and scared by what was happening, but he quickly followed the lead of the other two as they headed over towards the platform exit, which led out near the base of the reactor.

The last person to exit from the doors of the train was a huge, broad figure of a man, his features darkened by the night of Midgar, the city of eternal shadows. He settled on the platform and glanced around at the fallen guards. He twisted his bearded face and smiled. Turning back towards the train, he looked up at an escape hatch on the roof and began to yell. "C'mon newcomer, follow me".

The hatch rose with a puff of steam and a spiky head popped out. The figure rose to his feet on top of the train and somersaulted to the platform athletically.

The bearded man looked him up and down quickly before making his departure, but there was no time to settle on his features. He saw a dark silhouette of a man, covered from head to foot in a large brown cape. His massive spiky hair and glowing blue eyes quickly became apparent, but were pondered upon for mere moments.

The spiky-haired man suddenly threw off his cape, and his less obvious features came alive, under the glow of the station lights. He was just under six-feet in height, and was not powerfully built, but the aura he presented was of a man much larger. He looked a strong and athletic character, unbeatable in will and determination. His hair was set into huge spikes drooping up and down on the top of his head and set a frame to his handsome face dominated by huge blue eyes. They glowed with a strange and unnatural light, which was unlike any of the others. He was dressed in a casual purple uniform that showed off his slim line physique that was toned and shaped like a fighter. He wore shoulder armour on his right side, but this seemed more for decoration than protection. In himself, this man was a frightening figure, tough and untamed to the world. Yet the most unsettling thing of all was the huge weapon that he carried on his back. Almost a metre and a half in length, the blade looked huge and cumbersome, far bigger than any standard blade. A Buster sword. A lot of training was required to use such a weapon, for it looked and handled like a giant meat cleaver, in the right hands however, the sword could make the wielder almost invincible, and this man, certainly believed it. Although he appeared smaller than most at first glance, there was no doubting that the man was power personified. His name was Cloud.

Walking forward, Cloud saw something shining on the floor next to the body of the unconscious guard. It was a few Gil that had fallen from the guard's pocket. Coolly and without regard, Cloud crouched and put his hand towards the money. His wage was little enough for this job. Any supplement to his pay was well received. As he grabbed the Gil and placed it in his own pocket he heard the cries ahead of him. Raising his head he saw two more station guards were running towards him and this time they were more adequately armed with machine guns. Somehow the others had managed to evade them.

He watched the two for a moment, before diving off towards a large, six foot high crate near the platform wall. He heard the guards open fire on him as he reached for the huge Buster sword with one arm. The sword gave a sharp click as the magnetic clasps on the back of his armour gave way. The blade was released and Cloud swung it over towards his chest. Looking through the holes in the wooden crate he saw the guards still running towards his position. There was no clear way past.

Reaching into the armour on his right shoulder, he pulled out three marbles and looked at them for a moment. Without looking he tossed them over his head towards the two guards. They flew quickly through the air and Cloud heard them hit the floor and roll. Too small to be noticed they were ignored by the arrogant platform defenders. Closing his eyes, Cloud heard the sudden blast and the cries of the two wounded.

He quickly ducked from behind the crate and saw the blinded men aiming their weapons towards him. They were shocked and stumbling but still very much alive. As fast as a bullet, Cloud skipped over and swung the mighty Buster sword. With one swift stroke, he knocked both guards back to the platform, dead before they even hit the ground. He swung the sword once in the air and brought it down behind his back, clasping it solidly to the heavy magnets.

When the smoke from the stun explosive had cleared, Cloud once more began to head towards the platform exit.

Once outside the station, Cloud began to realise where he was, despite the area being new to him. Cobbled streets lay in every direction, leading off towards industrial parks and mechanised factories. To his left he saw the thing itself, Mako Reactor number one, to the far north of the city of Midgar. This marked the boundary of their world, about ten miles from Shinra headquarters in the very centre. They weren't far from the population in sector eight to the west, but to the east, there was nothing but machines and power factories. He had never been here before, but he didn't like it already.

He saw three of his team mates trying to crack the code to the compound that housed the giant reactor. They would have little luck getting through that. Cloud spat on the floor as he examined the outer wall, a solid barrier, with no obvious way through into the compound beyond.

He walked over towards them slowly, seemingly oblivious to the fact that they were all in imminent danger. He scoffed as he saw them working away with the complicated dials and switches of a small handheld device hooked up to the gate. He watched on coldly and without emotion.

One of the men looked towards him, and smiled stupidly, admiring the sight of his newfound comrade. "Wow! You used to be in SOLDIER all right. I'm sorry but it's not every day you meet one in a group like AVALANCHE". The man's name was Biggs.

Cloud shrugged and looked upwards towards the reactor. He felt a sudden need for urgency.

The woman who was working on the gate stopped for a moment and turned towards the one who had spoken. "Wait a minute, Biggs… SOLDIER? Aren't they the enemy?" She twisted back towards the control panel as she felt the fat nudge from her other male comrade, Wedge.

Biggs looked taken aback for the moment, but shook it off as he delivered his answer. "He was in SOLDIER, Jessie, but he quit. Now he's one of us". He looked back towards Cloud. "That's right isn't it? I didn't catch your name". He watched Cloud hopefully.

Cloud felt awkward. He didn't like the attention he was drawing to himself, and he liked all this waiting around even less. "My name is Cloud".

Biggs smiled brightly. "Cloud eh? I'm…"

"I don't care what your name's are. Once this job's over I'm out of here". He was happy that he had shut Biggs up. He didn't feel like getting all friendly and personal with anyone when they were on the brink of breaching the tightest security system on the planet. He watched as the man's eyes shot towards the gigantic Buster sword.

Biggs was filled with awe for a moment, wishing he could hold the thing. How he wished he'd had a weapon like that as a kid.

Cloud looked down the main road to his right where he saw the huge figure approach him. The man was massive, dark and deadly. He remembered him from before, the man who had given him this job with AVALANCHE. It was Barret, their leader.

They heard his booming voice as he headed closer. "Hey what are you all doing? I thought I told you never to move in a group". He came closer and glared down at them; they all looked away, except Cloud, who stood there like an impudent child. "How long till you bust the gate Jess?"

She answered him almost immediately. "Just a few seconds Barret". Sparks flew from her hands as she drove a metal tool into the control panel impatiently. It worked, and the gate grinded slowly open. It was not the main walkway, so it was not used to opening too often. The mechanism was ancient and falling apart.

Barret continued. "Great work. Meet on the bridge in front of the reactor. There's no turning back now". Barret watched as Biggs, Wedge and Jessie all enter into the industrial courtyard. He then looked at Cloud, unable to leave the eyes that glowed so fantastically. "Ex-SOLDIER eh? I don't trust ya…" He growled softly. "Come on, let's get going".

Cloud watched the man disappear into the compound. He too was dressed like some kind of freedom fighter, in slack combat trousers and a large green vest, but this man looked more serious and aggressive than the others. Cloud had noticed the gun-arm on his right stump, and he wondered how Barret had come by it. One thing was for sure; the man was expecting a lot of trouble. Maybe they were professionals after all.

He took one last look at the massive reactor, before heading into the compound.

There was no one in the courtyard, but the ceaseless drone of machines all around him gave the impression that there was. Cloud ducked and dived through the shadows as best he could, keeping low to avoid any security cameras that there might be.

He turned right as he reached a solid wall, and took a quick left when he saw the sign that warned suddenly of intruders. Cloud cursed to himself as he realised that somebody had tripped the alarms. Their quiet entrance had been foiled and the Shinra security systems were now on to them. Their one chance was to avoid being locked onto by the cameras. He knew what to expect. He had visions of automated turrets, gunning them down without a moment of hesitation, dogs and Mercs hunting them through the factories like animals.

Cloud caught a glimpse of Wedge stumbling forward into another smaller yard, which was shut off from the main compound by a small wall. This headed in the direction of the reactor, and it was probably their last milestone before they reached the outside. Silent alarms were sounding left and right in this place, presenting themselves on electronic picture boards, it was best to get out of here all together. He wasn't sure why, but Cloud strangely began to question his motives at this time, but then he realised that whatever he thought of this job, it was much too late for a retreat.

The smaller yard had housed a door that led to a narrow bridge. This bridge was long and led towards another large archway about thirty metres ahead. The bridge also turned a sharp right that led a path into the reactor itself. The bridge had a safety guard on both sides, but was only really meant for machines and maintenance men. Far below, Cloud knew there were the slums, and he suddenly felt light-headed when he again realise how far up they were.

Midgar had once been a normal city, built on ground level but thanks to a crazy population growth, the Shinra Company had built a massive circular plate, twenty miles wide to be placed one hundred metres above the old city and supported on gigantic rock pillars. The project had been epic, costing billions of Gil and years of hard labour. The results had been surprising. Whilst the upper plate grew in wealth and prestige, and was home to the upper class elite, the city beneath suffered as it deteriorated into second place. Petty fiefdoms and crime lords prospered as a controlling force beneath the new world. They controlled the people with the support of the corporation through a Shinra sub-branch known as the Turks. The lower world was the only place available to the poorer classes and became widely known as the slums. This had been long ago, but the people still knew of their origins.

Cloud could not see the slums from high up on the bridge, for a dark mist smothered the entire air. It was a light Mako cloud, spurted out from faulty ducts at the base of the reactor. The sudden realisation that they were a hundred metres above the ground made him feel quite dizzy. He shook it off quickly, trying to focus.

Wedge had gone ahead to cover the other archway, whilst the others all took the right path towards the reactor.

Cloud tried not to look down as he traced their steps towards the huge towering cylinder. The doorway was surprisingly small when he reached it, but seemed to engulf everything. He hesitated slightly as he saw Shinra's giant logo sat above the black hole of an entrance. He hadn't the best memory, but most of them that involved the Shinra left him feeling full of pain and anger.

He quickly picked up the pace and sprinted into the iron beast.

The inside of the Mako reactor was much like the yards of industry that sat around the train station in sector one. Mechanised pumps and automated drones went merrily about their business, mostly ignoring the intruders despite their loud entrance. The alarms in here were separate from the ones in the outer sections, so any indication of their presence had been left at the front door.

The inside was gigantic. Huge walls were built of solid stone, supported by steel shafts all around the edges. Looking upwards, the members of Avalanche could not see how high the Mako reactor went, but knew that it spiralled upwards about another fifty metres, pumping out excess of Mako fuel in a giant dust cloud that could be seen from miles around.

Cloud saw the others instantly, working their magic on another security fence. He didn't know the route they were heading on, but he hoped that the others did. He quickly ran up to Barret, adjusting his sword for better fit.

Barret watched him approach. He would never have admitted it, but he was glad to have an ex-member of SOLDIER on his team. He felt sure that having Cloud in AVALANCHE was essential to getting this job done. Biggs, Wedge and Jessie were all fine compatriots, but they weren't fighters, and he knew that he couldn't pull this off alone. However, he wasn't letting this hot shot get all the praise. He was a hired mercenary, nothing more. He knew that his own team was to be given the credit for this operation, not some crazed, ex-Shinra thug. AVALANCHE was the brain, Cloud was the added muscle.

"Is this your first time in a reactor?" Barret grunted.

Cloud looked at him as he thought. "No. I did work for Shinra, you know".

Barret looked at the man's eyes again. They were unnatural and a little creepy. He knew it was the glow of Mako he saw, a mark of the elite SOLDIER units. He spoke again. "The reactors here are full of Mako energy. People here use it every day".

Cloud shrugged.

"It's the life blood of this planet, but Shinra keeps sucking it out with these weird machines".

Cloud shrugged a second time. "So".

Barret fumed. He saw the man for what he was, he cared for nothing. "You're coming with me from now on," he growled.

Jessie laughed as she finally managed to crack the code to the gate. It slid open effortlessly, revealing another yard within the tower. "Yeah," she yelled. "I've done it".

Biggs rushed forward, knocking her out of the way. "We still have to secure the lift. Come on".

Then Cloud shot out an arm, holding him back. "Wait". Only he had noticed the trooper patrolling the yard on the inside of the gate. The rest of them were about to rush blindly out into the open space. It was obvious to Cloud that AVALANCHE weren't the fighters they professed to be. They were technological bookworms with electronic skills and a few moves up their sleeves. He would bet that they had never been in this sort of situation before, but had been led this far by Barret, who was relentless in his aims.

Barret huffed to himself in annoyance. "Damned Shinra sentries, they're all over the place".

Cloud smiled darkly. "What did you expect? For them to just let you in through the front door?"

There was no reply from any of the members. They looked clueless on how to proceed.

The ex-SOLDIER shuffled forward and let go of Biggs' arm. The courtyard was relatively larger than anything they had seen before. The elevator that Biggs was talking about was protected by a few robot sentries, which stood on one leg and kept a machine gun propped on top of their strange bodies, deterring any assault. Jessie would need to work quickly securing the lift that would take them deep down into the reactor.

Shooting his attention back to the single guard, Cloud noticed that he wasn't alone. The man was being followed by a huge guard cat that lurked in the shadows behind its master, waiting for an ample opportunity to attack. Cloud would need to take them down, or the operation would be finished.

Barret nudged his way through Biggs and Jessie, until he was sat next to Cloud, then he squatted on the ground. "What's on your mind?"

Cloud did not look at Barret, but answered him quickly. "I'll take care of the guard and his pet. I need you to clear a path through those sentries to the elevator". He glanced into Barret's face and then down towards his gun-arm. "Does that thing work?"

Barret growled and raised the metal paw upwards, revealing numerous barrels in the end of the thing. To Cloud, it looked like a powerful Gatling gun that fired armour piercing nails, rather than bullets. It wasn't advisable to get on the firing end of one. Cloud nodded to him.

From the shadows, the attack began. Cloud skipped athletically from the doorway of the courtyard and caught the guard immediately by surprise. The huge cat growled ferociously and sprung into position, after being released from its master's chain. The guard raised his gun and began to spray his bullets towards the ex-SOLDIER member. They ricocheted uselessly from the huge blade of the Buster sword. As the cat closed in for the kill, Cloud threw the huge weight of the sword over his shoulder and waited for the right time, his deep, penetrating eyes, never leaving those of the estranged beast. When the two were moments apart, Cloud yelled and swung the giant blade towards the attacker. There was an inhuman cry from the massive beast, as the blade cut down its huge mass in mid air. Cloud fell backwards from the impact, but he had managed to kill the thing.

The guard was furious. Seeing his beloved pet, slaughtered ruthlessly by the intruder, he wasted no time, in releasing a hail of bullets towards him. Cloud however, remained nimble, despite being shocked by the beast's unnatural strength.

The only cover from the firepower was behind the gigantic blade of his sword, now stained with the blood of the beast. Cloud needed to be closer. As soon as the guard had to change magazines in his weapon, Cloud raised his blade and ran towards him, sword above head. When the guard once more raised his weapon, Cloud dropped the blade to the floor and propelled himself over in a somersault. After the gigantic leap, he landed in the middle of the guard's chest, knocking him backwards into the wall and stunning him. Taking a minute to get his breath back, Cloud snatched the weapon of the fallen man and went to meet with Barret.

In the meantime, Barret had gone headfirst into battle with the machines. Covering his comrades as best he could, the big man fell into a favourable position behind some old barrels and began to fire his arm-mounted weapon. The Gatling pellets quickly cut through the soft armour of the small robots and they exploded into masses of sparks and wreckage. He rose to his feet and smiled, glad that he had seen the battle through.

The four members made rendezvous at the elevator, with the courtyard free of any obstacles. Jessie easily managed to override the security clearance for the lift and the doors slowly opened to reveal a small cabin inside.

Cloud nodded at Barret and he nodded back. Words hardly needed to be spoken between the two men.

Now was the time for the second part of the plan to come into action. Cloud threw the guards weapon over towards Biggs, who caught it gleefully.

Barret pointed towards him with the gun-arm, as Jessie skipped into the lift area behind him. "You're marking our escape. Don't fail us now".

Biggs nodded and gave a mimicking salute towards the AVALANCHE leader. "Come back in one piece, you lot!" He raised the gun and scampered over the courtyard.

The lift grinded into action as Cloud pushed the final switch at Jessie's instruction. They all suddenly felt the rush as the little chamber descended into the unknown, leading them towards their destiny.

Barret raised his hand towards the side and rested against it, as he looked straight into Cloud's brilliant eyes. For a moment he just stared at him, hardly a thought penetrating his head, but then he got to the wondering about what made this mercenary tick. He just couldn't seem to figure him out. It was like the man was a moving statue oblivious to the world around him, or AVALANCHE'S cause. He was a ghost.

Cloud saw Barret's look, but said nothing.

"Soon these reactors will drain out all the life of the planet and that will be that," Barret said suddenly.

Cloud shrugged as he had done before. Why was Barret trying to get to him like this?

The big man opened his mouth in a furious gesture. "The planet's dying, Cloud," he yelled.

"It's not my problem. The only thing I care about is finishing this job before security and Robo-guards come". Cloud shook his head and glanced towards Jessie, who was keeping very quiet.

Barret was now fuming. He had turned away from Cloud, not wanting to look at the man who cared for nothing. Cloud was a loner, a brigand mercenary, who was in it for the money. Why she had spoke so highly of him, Barret could not guess. He tried his best to force his anger away, remembering that they needed to keep a clear head.

They stepped out into a world they had never seen before, deep inside of the giant Mako reactor. This was the very centre of Shinra's world domination, the heart of their monopoly. This was the place where the abundant Mako was sucked mercilessly from the very bowels of the planet.

The whole chamber was unbelievably large, much larger than any factory anywhere else in the world. Once more, the walls were built from thick stonework and steel shafts supporting the main frame. The place had obviously been built many years ago and had been upgraded many times since then. In front of them was a huge bowl-shaped structure, which looked as though it controlled the main functions of the reactor in a massive mainframe and ensured the efficient running of the entire process. This was where the reactor housed its many drones, sending them at intervals down into core to handle basic maintenance functions.

Beside the mainframe structure a pathway ran down the side and underneath the platform they were standing on. This route led down to the very core, where few humans ever ventured, unless of an emergency. Despite the safety rails and warning signs, it was not a way designed for the workers, but for the machine drones to carry out their tasks.

Barret waved Jessie and Cloud onwards, and they followed unenthusiastically. Running parallel to the downward staircase, various pipes and maintenance chutes ran from the very summit of the reactor down into the depths. Cloud guessed that these were probably rubbish pipes, used for disposing of garbage, or something like that. He was struck with awe at the sheer size of them. Epic expanses of steel surrounded the chutes, all serving some purpose or another as they continued their hard toil night and day, completely automated and away from human eyes. The entire city of Midgar was run from these creations of the Shinra, and if they were ever to break, the city would be in chaos. The thought was mind-boggling.

He was surprised at Barret's speed as he traced the steps of the AVALANCHE members down towards the ground. The journey to the bottom of the mainframe platform was long and winding, like some twisting serpent of colossal size. He was glad to finally get off the steel steps and get his feet on the solid stone ground. To his left he saw the bottom of the pipes and the huge vats of waste that they were tipping into. It looked like the leftovers of the Mako energy that had been sucked up and harvested into energy. Whatever was left over was transformed into green sludge, sliding down into these large containers. What happened after that, Cloud could not guess.

The others had already disappeared into another doorway ahead of him. He sighed and began to follow once more.

From the next huge chamber, Cloud could finally see down into the depths of the Mako reactor. Far below crossing pipes, he saw a long, thick bridge about fifty metres down. Beneath the metal bridge he could only see thick smog of blue dust, covering something that looked like an underground lake. Inching forward, towards the end of a fallen pathway, he saw huge pipes, larger than any he had seen before, running down the side of the wall, plunging their heads into the lake. Were these the Mako extractors? Was that pure Mako in the lake?

Over the broken pathway he saw Jessie waving him over, and Barret sliding down a slanting steel ladder, leading onto a pipe way down below. There was no other choice but to jump. He took a deep breath and clung onto his sword as he prepared a run up. Sprinting at full speed leapt dramatically over the gaping hole and landed on the other side. Wasting no time, he quickly swung himself onto the ladder, and began to trace it down carefully, following Jessie and Barret.

The pipe was large, but hardly made for three people. The Avalanche members tried their best to keep their balance as they strutted along the thing to a small maintenance platform hovering in the air. Jessie settled herself onto this floor way and began to smile at the others. "This is my spot," she giggled.

Barret looked down into the depths of the reactor as he rested his arm onto the platform. Planning the route in his mind, he figured that the pipes would lead them to the ladder over by the east wall. If they were careful, they would easily make it across and be able to climb down onto the bridge far below. He glanced up at Jessie and shot her a rare grin. "Don't get careless now, girl. We're not out of this yet. You know what to do, so hold position here while we get back".

Jessie looked between Barret and Cloud, and then winked. "Don't worry about me. Try not to get yourself killed!"

Leaving Jessie behind, Cloud and Barret followed each other carefully across the crossing pipe ways, trying their best not to look down. Eventually they managed to reach the ladder that led down to the bridge. Barret went first, followed by Cloud who hung effortlessly above his slower comrade. The decent was long and painful, but eventually Barret placed one foot on the steel bridge. It was narrower than he expected. Looking upwards, he saw the thick yellow pipes that they had successfully crossed, but could not spot Jessie in the darkness. The roof of the reactor was now a distant memory, completely lost to their minds as they sweated it out directly above the Mako pool.

Wasting little time, the two warriors scuttled their way along the iron bridge towards their destination at the end. As they drew closer, they could make out a small wheel fitted onto a relatively small, but complex machine. According to Barret, this looked like the very centre of the reactor. It was the brain of the entire place, the one place where everything was automated and controlled to Shinra's standards. This supercomputer was their target. If the brain was dead, the entire reactor would crumble beyond repair, as the chain reaction would send catastrophic explosions through the entire system. Reactor one would be utterly destroyed.

As Barret continued onwards towards the thing, Cloud suddenly stopped and was struck with a sudden dizzy spell. He stumbled over towards the guardrail and set his hand against it to retain some kind of balance. Strange visions suddenly blurred his consciousness as he stumbled about, but they were so obscure that he couldn't make out a single picture. What the hell was happening to him? He saw a vision of the reactor in his mind, the whole place seeming suddenly very real to him. But it wasn't the real reactor; it was a twisted version of it. It looked older and somehow smaller than the real one. Turning cogs filled his mind and he saw strange chains hanging over the long platform. He heard the voice as clear as day. "This isn't just a reactor". It was a man's voice, deep, but almost inhuman.

As Barret turned, he saw Cloud stumbling about as though he were possessed. What the hell was wrong with this guy? "Hey you ok?" It seemed to have the desired effect as the man suddenly awoke from his daze and began to focus once more. Barret shrugged.

There was nothing Cloud could say to explain his sudden lapse of normality. Perhaps the Mako was beginning to have an effect on him. "I'm fine". Opening his hand, Cloud looked down and saw an odd, green coloured rock in his hand; at least it looked like a rock. How had he picked that up? He glanced up at Barret, and then at the strange rock. As his senses awoke once more, he knew instantly what it was. This was Materia.

Barret was looking impatient. "Hey, get your spiky ass over here. We need to set this thing today".

Cloud shook his head and quickly placed the Materia in his pocket. He would contemplate it later, right now; there was a mission to complete. He tried to regain his form and sprinted over to where Barret was stood.

Barret watched him approach. "What are you waiting for? Set the bomb".

Cloud looked at the device that Jessie had handed to him earlier. "Shouldn't you do it?"

Barret shook his head and sighed. "Just set the damn thing. I've gotta make sure you don't pull nothing".

Cloud walked forward slowly and never took his eyes off the reactor brain. He felt almost as though the thing were staring at him asking him subconsciously not to blow it up. He was being crazy again. This Mako must be having more of an effect on him than he realised. He settled himself down in front of the wheel that marked the control switch for manual operation by a Shinra operative. It would have been almost impossible to tamper with unless the operator had been fully trained. The bomb was set quickly and placed just behind the wheel underneath a small blue dial. According to Barret, this was the ideal spot to start the chain reaction.

Their whole decent had been leading to planting the bomb that had taken just a few seconds to set up. All the hassle that they had encountered up until now was just a slow build up to this one point. Their mission had been accomplished, but escape was another matter.

Now would be the time to see if Barret's theories were right. In ten minutes the reactor would be a heap of dust, a forgotten remnant of this wondrous city. Cloud had just signed the destruction of a landmark and an explosion that would rock the entire world.

Barret put his hand out to Cloud shoulder as the mercenary looked strangely vulnerable for a moment. Cloud was obviously in a sudden daze at the consequences that his actions would bring.

As the alarms slowly began, an almighty roar sounded throughout the chamber, but it didn't sound human. The two AVALANCHE members heard the whirring of cogs and machinery above them as though something was coming to life in the pipe works. It was a frightening sound as though it were a mark of their impending doom, signalled by the setting of the bomb.

Barret jogged forward steadily and looked around the chamber signalling to Cloud. "Watch out. Here they come!"

The thing landed across the bridge, massive and mechanical, like a giant armoured tank of some kind. It was at least twice the height of any man and sat on eight legs in a squat whilst various turrets whirred into action on its head.

Cloud drew his sword and raised it towards the mechanical beast. He recognised the thing immediately for what it was, a crazed robotic guard scorpion that had built by the Shinra to protect various industrial sites in the eight sectors of Midgar. Cloud had never seen one this close before, but he knew what they were capable of!

The scorpion suddenly rose up on every one of its eight legs and began to run towards them at a blinding pace. As it came closer, its features became more obvious and horrific. The thing was completely mechanised but looked frighteningly real as it propelled its body forwards. This monstrosity of a design carried two main gun turrets instead of claws and had a huge life-like tail that it swung behind like a whip. It was a bright orange in colour, matching the dreaded scorpions of the outlands.

Barret screamed as he backed away, firing his weapon madly. He took quick glances towards Cloud, who just stood there in awe for a few seconds. He tried to focus his firepower towards the metal beast, but most of the Gatling pellets simply rebounded off the tough armour.

Cloud raised the blade once more and leapt behind Barret as the scorpion continued forward. He watched as the beast raised one of its turrets towards them, but he only just reacted quickly enough as the cannon fired. A short burst of bullets ricocheted off the metal surface of the platform as both Cloud and Barret dived out of the way.

"What a monster!" Barret screamed as he ducked for cover.

Cloud had closed his eyes. There were a few more tricks that he had up his sleeve yet. He stood straight against the scorpion, in full view and range, but the thing could not hit him as it blasted away. Concentrating fully, Cloud managed to bring up a ring of green energy around his body covering him from head to foot.

Barret watched in amazement as his comrade summoned up magic from the resident powers within him. Barret had seen magic used before in the world of men, but never like this. Cloud was completely smothered in the field, as though he had precise control over the entire force. Maybe this was what it took to be a member of SOLDIER.

Cloud raised both arms in front of him, channelling his energies forward towards the huge drone. Then suddenly the heavens opened up in a small portal directly above the machine, as though the gods of space were spying onto the world below watching the unfolding battle. In an instant, there was a loud crackling as a huge bolt of pure lightning energy blasted down from the portal, hitting the armour of the scorpion with a force greater than it had ever felt before.

The huge hunk of metal ceased its fire almost immediately as the bolt struck. It quivered violently a few times, before shifting its weight left and into the guardrail of the bridge. A few metal bars were sent flying into the pool of Mako twenty feet below and were immediately consumed. The scorpion continued to stumble forward in a slight daze, less unsure of its target than it had once been.

Cloud quickly realised it was going to fire once more and dived out of the way, before the barrage could hit him.

Barret took his opportunity. Jumping out from behind cover he immediately opened a barrage of fire from his gun, catching the beast full onward. This time it seemed to have more of an effect, as the scorpion sparked slightly and let out its blood-curling cry.

Both men were rocked by the crashes on the platform beneath their feet and found it difficult to keep balance as the beast stomped around. This did not stop Cloud from lunging forward with his sword. He was barely a few inches away from the monster when it swung an almighty gun-claw towards the young ex-SOLDIER. He met the blow with his Buster sword, but was knocked back by the impact, flying to the floor with a loud crash. He shook his head quickly and realised that the scorpion was eyeing him up for another blow. Without being able to think, he managed to roll with great speed to his left hand side, as the huge claw crashed through the steel and left a massive hole in the platform.

Barret was not idle. Aiming for the huge scorpion eye that sat atop of the gun turrets, he quickly powered up his weapon until a huge energy bolt formed in front of the barrels of his Gatling gun. Jessie's modification was working! Before the thing reached an overload, Barret released the bolt, sending it flying into the drone's control viewer.

There was a small explosion, as the creature was blown backwards by the impact. Flames shot from the eye and sparked into the air, falling to the ground somewhere near Cloud. The scorpion was going crazy now! At an almost unbelievable speed, it fell backwards and began to circle madly, swinging its tail at random.

Barret ducked out of the way of the flailing limb, missing it by the nearest of inches.

Cloud quickly saw his chance and rose to his feet. He raised the sword above his head and brought it crashing down on the scorpion's right arm. With the power Cloud had put into the blow, the arm was severed in an instant, flying to the ground as scrap metal, a huge gun-arm of a high calibre. He quickly swung the sword back around the other way and focused on the swinging tail as the beast circled madly, screaming with pain. Cloud saw the swinging tail and knew instantly that it was powering up a laser in the end of it. It was aiming towards Barret! Knowing he only had seconds to save the AVALANCHE leader, Cloud rolled forward and brought his sword upwards towards the shaft of the tail. The slice was not as clean, but still left a deep wound in the scorpion's main weapon.

The mechanised protector of reactor one was crippled. It moved in fits, unsure of direction or sense. Its robotic brain knew of the existence of the terrorists, but could no longer lock on to any of them. Its only hope was to barge into them without the aid of its main eye, which was not impossible considering its incredible mass.

From his current position, which was practically beneath the scorpion, Cloud could see the inner workings of the machine as a whole. With the circuitry exposed, Cloud saw his opportunity to finish the thing once and for all. He raised his sword and screamed loudly, before plunging the entire length of the heavy blade into the very centre of the robot. It screamed frantically and rose up on all eight legs, turning madly as it slowly burned from the inside. Cloud was suddenly thrown clear, sword in hand, and crashed again to the floor. With a quick flip, he was back on his feet again, contemplating the huge disintegrating wreck blocking their path on the walkway. He swung his sword above his head with ease, half expecting another assault.

Barret jogged over towards his comrade watching the mad machine for a moment or two. "I know this isn't the best time for this, but if we don't get out of here soon, we're going to go down with this place".

Cloud nodded his agreement, breathing heavily, but not managing to take his eyes of the gigantic opponent. "It's going to blow," he whispered eerily.

Both men ran quickly behind cover as the scorpion crashed around on the platform, screaming wildly in an almost lifelike manner. There was nothing else to do but wait, until the thing was finally destroyed. It would have been impossible to sneak past, as the machine was too large and was covering the entire walkway. The two would have been cut down in an instant by its wandering mass. They continued to observe as sparks and flames shot from the body, spraying the air with a flaming atmosphere, like a sky of fire raining down from the heavens.

Their prayers were finally answered as the scorpion finally barged its frame into the guardrail and the steel gave way. There was an almighty splash as the thing was sent screaming into the sea of Mako, lost forever in the stomach of the planet. There was no explosion or mad cries as the scorpion struggled for the surface. It had been lost forever under the deep blue, a lost relic of this place, never to be discovered again.

Vowing to wipe away the horror of the battle, the two men began to trace their steps back upwards into the reactor chambers, planning to meet with Jessie on the way. There was only ten minutes left now until the final detonation, ten minutes until an explosion that would make the Shinra sit up and take notice of them.

Barret looked over towards the severed arm and his brain began to work quickly. Perhaps Jessie could make some use of that. He put his foot down towards it and flicked it up into his good arm, finally managing to secure the thing to his shoulder with a bit of rag from his shirt.

As alarms sounded, and lights flickered softly in the depths of the reactor, Cloud and Barret were merely two shadows escaping from a nightmare, like two souls of hell, making their final scale into heaven. Failure would mean certain death; success would lead them to a new life in which the Shinra would sit up and take notice of their actions.

It took a good few minutes to transverse the strange crossing pipes above the Mako pit and finds the small floating platform where Jessie was waiting patiently. With little time for words, the three comrades immediately set back on their route up the twisted ladder and across the fallen pathway.

Through the doorway they looked upwards, seeing the steps that led up the massive industrial machine and through the small door that led into the elevator there. Barret led the way, quickly followed by Jessie, with Cloud covering the rear. He still saw no guards in the bowels of the reactor and guessed that Shinra's security rested firmly in the hands of the electronic gates they had cracked earlier, and the massive guardian that was now swimming in Mako.

It took a lot of effort to keep the pace, running up a seemingly endless flight of steps, but thanks to his good condition, Cloud coped quite a lot better than the two others. He said a thankful prayer to whoever was looking out for him as he reached the very top and saw a familiar bowl shaped machine.

Cloud had a little time to reflect as Jessie pushed the button on the elevator, sending them upwards into the courtyards. His mind was exhausted from battle and his body was jittery from a combat high, but he still found time to remember the mysterious Materia gem that he had found in the depths of the reactor. He wondered again how he had managed to get a hold of the thing. Had it come to him in his dream? He glanced towards Barret, as he broke off his thoughts suddenly. Did Barret now suspect something about him?

The elevator suddenly rumbled and shook them all up, igniting fear of a breakdown in the system, with them all trapped inside, but the sturdy lift kept its course well, and continued up the endless shaft.

They were thankful when the door finally opened into a well-lit courtyard. They had finally escaped that hell of a reactor, but there was still more to do.

Tired and bruised, Cloud followed Barret and Jessie into the industrial setting of the yard outside the elevator. Familiar features such as the fallen guard, locked gates and the enthusiastic Biggs greeted him on the outside, but Cloud had no patience to tolerate them. He discounted Biggs immediately and ran over to the Avalanche leader, who was busy formulating their escape route.

Barret quickly summoned up the energy to order Biggs into position, and followed him over towards the gate. He saw Cloud and Jessie follow him.

Biggs settled his focus on the gate, following the way Jessie had shown him. Her months of tutorage were shown to have paid off as he jammed the control panel with a phoney circuit and the gates slid open again as quickly as they had closed. "Run for it!" he yelled.

Wedge saw them all in an instant and began cheering manically as they sprinted over the walkway. The way ahead that he had been guarding had remained clear despite numerous alarms. The Avalanche attackers had been in the reactor, barely fifteen minutes, but Wedge was not impressed with the wait. He hated not being involved in the middle of things, but Wedge knew his role in Avalanche was hardly an active one. He could not begin to imagine what they had been through in there. He continued to yell words of encouragement as precious seconds slipped away.

In a moment of horror, he saw Jessie trip on the walkway, slamming to the steel with great force. She was quickly scooped up by Cloud however, with him hardly breaking a stride.

Ahead of him was Biggs, followed closely by Barret. They were both screaming crazily, pouring every last effort into this last escape as they sprinted blindly towards him. It was impossible for the Shinra to stop them now. The reactor was going down, one way or another, but their time had almost run out. Wedge turned quickly and headed through the doorway he had been guarding.

As Cloud and Jessie stumbled onwards to follow the others, the reactor began to spark, and was covered with a radiant electric current rolling upwards and across the huge column. The chain reaction was beginning, the explosion had occurred already!

In a few moments, Cloud's destiny was changed forever. He had assisted a dangerous group of eco-warriors and had destroyed a huge bastion of power and profit for the Shinra Corporation, perhaps the most powerful organisation ever to have existed on the planet and his former employers. He would be hunted to his death by their troops, going down in history as one of the men behind one of the world's greatest explosive disasters, but would he be remembered as one of them, or as a cold-hearted mercenary who had been in it purely for the money?

The explosion spread across the city in a huge ball of flame that was seen from miles around. The reactor did not fall, but simply exploded into oblivion, a distant memory of a once proud structure, possibly signalling the beginning of the fall of the Shinra.

Cloud had unwittingly entered onto a path that would change his life, a path of destiny. He was in a new world now, radically different from the one that he had been a part of before. This was a world where one man would make a difference that would last forever…


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Homecomings

It was not a natural cavern, but one that had been created within the last hour due to the colossal blast that had shaken the roots of the city. Covered on all sides by rock and wrecked metal, the walls were still smoking from the explosion that had rocked the populace of Midgar from their beds.

Biggs whistled loudly, but the others were silent. "That should keep the planet going at least a little longer".

Barret looked at him but said nothing. The others followed his example.

Cloud was leant against the wall watching Jessie fix a device to the wall on the west. She worked quickly and efficiently, as though she had been working with explosives her whole life. Perhaps she had. Cloud could not guess.

After a few moments, Jessie shooed them all backwards deeper into the cavern as she activated the bomb. "Ok, everyone, get back!"

Yet another rain of fire burst out into the street of sector eight, Midgar. Piles of rocky debris fell out into the courtyards on the other side, engulfed in golden flame. A steady updraft of air quickly lifted the fires from the newly created hole and allowed access into the small cavern behind as the heat soared upwards. Blasting their way through to sector eight was easier than they had thought.

Cloud leapt out first, followed by Barret, Biggs, Jessie, and Wedge who rushed out in a blind panic, believing he was on fire. The hole didn't exactly look secure, but had done the job. It wasn't their problem any more. All they could do was hope that they hadn't attracted too much attention.

Cloud looked around the square, noticing that the place was already chaos following the huge reactor explosion. A few people wandered here and there, scared to death, trying to figure out why fire and rocks had suddenly rained from the sky. He noticed that a few of them had already sparked their attention towards their smaller explosion.

Barret suddenly composed himself and began to yell to the others. "Ok guys, no time to talk now. Just split up and meet on the train. Get out of here".

Within a few seconds, Biggs, Wedge and Jessie had departed and gone their separate ways into the midst and confusion of the city.

Barret turned towards the same direction, but was stopped by Cloud. "Hey," he yelled.

Barret turned. "If it's about your money, wait until we're back at the hideout". He scowled at the ex-SOLDIER and ran off into the distance, disappearing as quickly as the others. Cloud was left all alone, surrounded by the giant city on all sides, a tiny life form encompassed in a world of steel.

He looked slowly upwards towards the sky, watching the freedom of the world above in the night sky. A quick memory invaded his thoughts, a memory that had been lost for many years in the dark hole of his brain. It had suddenly barged its way back from the brink of the abyss, forcing Cloud to take notice and acknowledge it as an important part of his past. What was so special about this sky? Was it the magical beam of the stars as they shone down on the city of Midgar? Or was it the infinite blackness beyond them, stretching onwards into the outer regions of space.

A small series of steps ahead of him led upwards into the main centre city region of sector eight. This was a side street, lost and forgotten in the hustle and bustle of the main region. These small slums on the upper plate were few, but still remained as link between sectors. Cloud knew that they were nowhere near as nasty as the slums of the city beneath. These people only knew half of it.

Cloud decided to make a sharp exit as he saw several business-types taking an active interest in the gaping hole they had just created in the sector wall.

Cloud emerged onto the main street. The blast from the reactor had spread far and wide from sector one, but nowhere had been more severely hit than the neighboring sector that he was in. Above the city line, where the reactor once stood, there was nothing but a huge cloud of smoke, covering the sky for miles around.

Ground level had been utterly attacked by debris, and the streets around him were still awash with panic as the people darted around madly, trying to make sense of it all. Trucks and small market stalls had been blasted into oblivion by the explosion and now littered the old roads, destroyed beyond repair. Several of the calmer folk had stopped and were cursing blindly at everyone and everything. A few children scuttled beneath their frightened parents, asking questions that simply could not be answered.

Cloud walked over towards the huge building in front of him that had been damaged by the blast radius. The tower was still standing, but several small floors had been completely wiped out. The long poster on the side of the building was torn and hung off like an old curtain, draping onto society below. The Goblin bar beneath it had been completely covered in the gigantic fabric and tonnes of debris.

Walking slowly through the streets, Cloud suddenly began to imagine the implications of what they had done. He saw a woman, busy picking up her belongings from the floor, near an old market stall. She was young and beautiful, a tragic consequence of their attack. He saw her glance towards him and smile. He smiled back, across the ruined street.

As they approached one another slowly, Cloud felt the instant rush of a strange emotion that he could not felt before. This girl was strange and set his mind spinning in all directions as he scrambled about trying to keep up with their wild inertia. A few minutes ago, he could only concentrate on the reactor, now he found himself thinking about something he had not contemplated since he was a child. Would he be allowed to break free of his shackles that kept his personality full of coldness and hate? Was she divine in some sense, freeing him from this world? He saw her large green eyes, perfect globes of power, staring into his own.

"Excuse me. Do you know what happened?" Her voice was full of innocence, oblivious to the world around her.

Cloud stuttered before he could answer. "Nothing I can tell you". He paused, glancing down at her basket. "You don't see many flowers around here".

Her smile widened as she reached into the basket and her hand traced a beautiful purple rose. "Would you like one? They're only a Gil".

Cloud hesitated. He had never seen anyone like her here in Midgar. It was as though she didn't belong here at all. He quickly brought out the money he had stolen from the officers at the train station and offered her one of the old coins.

She graciously accepted the gift, before laying the flower in Cloud's hand. "Thank you," she smiled sweetly. Turning away from him slowly, she disappeared into the mayhem of Midgar's streets, slowly fading from Cloud's memory with every step she took.

Cloud closed his eyes as he felt the flower in between his palms. Had she been a dream, a figment of imagination lost under his blanketed brain. Why didn't he know? Why did this world not feel real to him anymore? When he opened his eyes, she had completely disappeared from sight, but the flower remained.

He stepped beneath the archway and into a fountain area in the centre of the city. The clock above him read past midnight, but he didn't feel tired. The action had spread vigor throughout his body and he felt ready to take on anything.

Electricity sparked between buildings a few stories above his head, much to the delight of the children, who had ran from their homes to examine the aftermath of the blast. He noticed some of the men trying to shift the rubble with their hands. Most of them wore work clothes and office suits, but had not the time to dress more appropriately, due to the dangers of the courtyard. They didn't want any children to injure themselves climbing amongst the rocks and bits of flaming metal.

He wandered his way through the fountain area, taking note of the people who stared at him funnily as though he were an alien outsider of their world. His clothes were different from theirs, his hairstyle, his entire persona, was a million miles away from them. From a place they did not understand. He was a SOLDIER to them.

He saw the street that would eventually lead him to the train station and decided that he had better hurry if he were to catch up with Barret and the others.

On his way he came across a small child who was separated from the rest of them all. He was stood there staring at the side of a building that was sprayed wildly in yellow graffiti. He approached the boy's rear, in an attempt to read what the wall said. "Don't be fooled by the Shinra. Mako energy doesn't last forever – Protectors of the planet, AVALANCHE".

The boy turned around to face Cloud, as if to ask him for an answer. Cloud had no answer to give. His head dropped away from the young boy and face back towards the side street.

The street led him to a cobbled crossroads, marked by a large streetlamp on the corner. A row of posh houses ran parallel to this new road, across an old bridge above a railroad track. He was drawing nearer now.

The streets around this area were dark and looming, and echoed eerily as shadows danced across the walls. It was as though someone had been following him the whole way from the reactor, lurking over his shoulder like a whispering ghost, haunting him from the darkness. He turned in the alleyway, but saw nothing.

He slowly approached the edge of the bridge and glanced over onto the tracks below. This was his route to freedom, a route that would get him away from this whole mess.

He heard the noise suddenly and recognized the footsteps with his attuned hearing. The guards came running at him from all directions. Following him from the side road, there were two Shinra soldiers backed by a small rolling turret on tracks. To his left were two more, whilst three ran in from the right. They had obviously been watching him for some time. Shades of brilliant blue and red visors jogged there way over towards their old comrade.

Cloud was not shocked by their appearance; he had half expected it. Ever since Barret had left him in the aftermath of the explosion, Cloud had felt a gaping hole, like a vacuum suddenly usurping him into another place. Midgar had seemed different somehow, like an alternate ghost world, terrifying him to his very centre. He had suddenly become a different person, looking at everything through different eyes that seemed not to belong to him. He shivered violently, but did not look at the soldiers.

"Hold it you! Don't make any sudden moves".

Cloud heard the sound of rumbling along the tracks and quickly decided on a plan. He didn't want to be alone anymore. He wanted to find the others quickly. He turned towards them suddenly, sizing them all up as they slowly approached with their weapons drawn. "I don't have time to be messing around with you guys," he yelled.

The leader of the Soldiers raised his weapon to the others. "Enough babbling. Grab him!" But as they all closed in for the kill, their leader watched in horror as Cloud quickly somersaulted over the edge of the bridge to plummet to his doom…

Barret couldn't say he was real sorry. He hadn't allowed himself to get to know the real Cloud, so what the hell was he supposed to think? It was highly unlikely that his sort wouldn't show up for the money, so something must've happened. It was the only logical answer. He looked at the faces of his fellow comrades and saw the sorrow in their faces. The man certainly had had an effect on them.

Biggs returned the glance to Barret when he saw his leader looking at them. "Cloud never came," he said sadly. Dropping his head, he kicked out at the crate beside him.

Wedge scanned around the cargo area of the train, wondering what could be so important in these crates. They had obviously been here for some time, rotting in the old compartment. Perhaps they had been forgotten about, left here long ago to age with time. He whistled softly and put his hands in his pockets. He was bored by the silence, and fed up of the pessimistic mood. "Do you think Cloud's going to fight to the end for AVALANCHE?" he asked Barret.

Barret scowled and snapped back at him. "How the hell would I know? Do I look like a mind reader?" He hit out at the crate, copying Biggs' attitude. "If you weren't all such screw ups!" he moaned.

Jessie held her hand out to Wedge in comfort. She knew all about Barret and his moods. It was best to leave him alone when he was like this. Talking would only have made things worse.

Biggs suddenly stood up straight, focusing his mind once more. "Hey, Barret, what about our money?" As soon as he asked the question, he regretted it. He saw Barret raise his gun-arm in a provocative manner, before hitting out at the train crate once again. The thing smashed under the weight, sending bits of splinter wood crashing to the floor. Biggs backed away. "Uh…never mind," he stuttered.

For a few minutes there was nothing but an uneasy silence in the small cargo hold. Barret's stare was enough to shut anybody up, but the truth was, none of them felt like talking anymore. They had been in the hold for little more than ten minutes, waiting for Cloud, but the man hadn't shown. Barret hardly knew what to think. He had to tell Tifa something and she would probably blame him. That would be just typical. After all they had been through and all they had achieved, the most important subject of discussion would be Cloud's disappearance. It sickened him. Why was this guy so special to her? Why did he have such an influence amongst the others? The questions raced in head but there was little point in the end. The main issue still remained; Mako reactor one had been destroyed. They were victorious.

There was suddenly a loud knocking. Barret and the others looked around confusedly, trying to work out where it was coming from.

Wedge shrugged. "It's probably just the track".

Jessie answered him quickly as she rose to her feet. "The track is flat and automated. How can that be it, stupid?" She glanced over towards the iron door, studying the noise. In sudden realization, Jessie's head shot upwards to the roof. "It's coming from above".

There was another long pause in the cabin as the AVALANCHE members pricked their ears up so that they could listen for even the slightest noise. It came again!

Biggs shot his glance back towards Jessie and smiled. "Do you think…?"

Jessie did not wait. Trampling over Wedge she went over to reach for the cargo door and shifted the heavy bolt from its lock.

Barret watched on as she undid the heavy door, sliding it open with Biggs' help. Could it be him?

In an instant their questions were answered all at once, and a small joy swept through the cabin, like a cold gust of wind. Cloud leapt through the door athletically and spun into a crouch as he hit the floor. Slowly he rose to hit feet, breathing heavily.

"CLOUD!" Biggs, Wedge and Jessie all exclaimed at the same time, signaling their happiness at seeing the young ex-SOLDIER once again.

He swept the dust from his hands as he looked around at them all. "Hi everyone, looks like I'm a little late".

Barret scowled evilly. "Damn right you're late. Come waltzing in here making a big scene. You don't give a damn about nobody but yourself". He pointed towards Cloud with his gun-arm provocatively.

Cloud shrugged blandly. He hardly cared what Barret thought of him. "Just what I always do," he grinned.

"Well I'm taking it out of your wages hot stuff!" Barret kicked a piece of wood away from his feet and headed towards another door in the front of the compartment. "Come on. We're moving out".

When Barret had gone through the door, Wedge walked over to him and shook Cloud's hand forcefully. "Hey Cloud you were great back there!" He let go and followed Barret, whistling away.

Biggs then approached Cloud and tapped him on the shoulder. "We'll do even better next time, partner". Again, he followed through the door.

Jessie approached him, more slowly than the others, feeling slightly sheepish. "Hey, Cloud. Thanks for helping me back there at the reactor".

Cloud winked.

She grinned and put her hand up towards his head. "Oh, Cloud. Your face is pitch black". She swirled her hand across is cheek and brought it down again. "There you go".

Within moments, both had followed the others through the door and into the cabins.

The passenger compartments were small and basic, hardly a necessity for the Shinra and therefore down for a small budget. This line especially was under funded, as it was the only locomotive than ran up and down the central column of Midgar, linking the upper plate with the world of the slums a hundred metres down. The journey was not long by train, due to the efficient electricity line running from the train graveyard far below. Since the railway system used so much power in Midgar, more Mako energy needed to be converted into electricity to maintain an efficient service, hence draining life from the planet to feed transport. It was ironic therefore that AVALANCHE used this transport as a means of passage onto the upper plate. This thought had probably not occurred to Barret.

The man had settled on a couch, taking a look out of the windows every once in a while. The others had scattered throughout the compartment, which was surprisingly empty. Jessie stood by a small computer system near the door to the next carriage. She was beckoning Cloud over to her.

Cloud stepped from beneath the doorway and felt the sudden warmth of the cabin. He was amazed by his relief as he discovered that they were people around him again, keeping him safe from the horrors of being alone. What was this thing he was experiencing? Feeling a sudden rush of emotion, which made him feel quite dizzy along with the movement of the train, he closed his eyes and held onto the railing to his left. When the feeling had passed he opened his eyes and settled immediately on Jessie, who was now waving frantically.

Cloud wandered down the cabin towards her, passing Barret on the way, who looked as settled as Cloud had ever seen him. Was the man finally learning to relax? It wouldn't last.

"Hey Cloud. Do you want to check this out with me?" Jessie was certainly enthusiastic.

Cloud shrugged.

"Come on. I'll explain it to you. I like this kind of thing, Bombs, monitors, all flashy stuff".

Cloud raised his eyebrows and settled a pose beside her, watching the screen that she controlled so efficiently.

Jessie eventually brought up an image of two huge discs, set apart by a pole in the centre and eight smaller pillars around the sides. "This is a complete model of the city of Midgar. It's about 1/10000 scale. The top plate is about a hundred metres above the ground. There is a main support structure in the centre and eight smaller structures around the edges in each sector". She turned and grinned when she saw Cloud's face next to hers.

Cloud tried not to meet her stare, but nodded smoothly to show that he was paying attention.

Jessie then began to whisper. "The reactor that we blew up was sector one in the northern section of Midgar. Then there's number two, number three and all the rest going round in a clockwise direction up to number eight reactor". Jessie looked away from Cloud and back to the monitor. "Each part of Midgar used to have a name, but no one in this city remembers them. Instead we refer to them as numbered sectors. That's the kind of place this is".

Cloud noticed the sudden drop of tone in her voice.

"This is next". She scrolled the screen left to reveal a different model of Midgar, coloured green, with a yellow line spiraling down the main column. "This is the route the train is on. At certain points there is an ID sensor set up. The sensor can check the background and identities of everyone on the train by linking back to the data bank at Shinra headquarters". She leant back over towards Cloud, feeling his breath on her neck. "Anyone could tell that we look suspicious, so we're using fake ID's".

Cloud backed away suddenly and Jessie's eyes followed him. "Remember Cloud. When the lights of the ID sensor go out, you never know what creeps will come out of the darkness. But don't worry; I'll stay one step ahead of them". She smiled radiantly and raised her ID card to her head, gently tapping it against her temple.

The newest member of AVALANCHE acknowledged her look blandly as he stepped over towards Barret. She looked slightly upset by his coldness, showing her vulnerability slightly under the tough façade she tried to present.

Barret glanced out of the glass window as Cloud approached him. "Take a look out there. You can see the surface of the slums now. This city below doesn't have any light or day. It's because of that damn pizza up there that these people are suffering".

Cloud got closer and crouched over to see where Barret was pointing.

"Under the plate, the city is full of polluted air and dead ground where the reactors have sucked up all the energy".

Cloud saw a blurred image of the massive slum area from their high vantage point on the centre column. He saw that the place was also split into clear distinct sectors just like the world above, but there were no tall buildings, no traffic, no industry, nothing but wasteland, a few house amongst fields of scrap. He looked upwards and saw the underside of a huge metal disc that was the basis of the city of Midgar as the world saw it, thriving and economic, the largest and most prosperous city in the world. "A floating city, pretty unsettling scenery".

Barret seemed surprised as though he had not expected any kind of reaction from Cloud. He stood as he heard the announcement signaling their imminent arrival into the train graveyard of sector 7, down below in the slums.

Cloud stepped out into a completely different atmosphere than the one he had been in contact with on the upper plate. The air was strange and almost musty. It was also much hotter down here than up above, which was strange due to it being the early hours of the new day. The world was still engulfed by nightfall, but there was no sky for these people.

All around in the distance he could see various trains, most unused and dysfunctional, but still serving the purpose of marking boundaries for the people of the slums. To the right, a vast area was filled with carriages of a time long past, where obsolete train models and their cargo were just dumped to get them out of the way. This was a dangerous place known as the train graveyard, which Tifa had warned him of. An aging Shinra guard waved him off the train as he wandered forward lethargically to shut off the door. There were to be no more trains that night.

"Hey get over here all of ya!" Barret was yelling again. "This mission was a success but don't be getting reckless now".

Cloud walked slowly over towards the others who stood at the bottom of the steps.

Barret continued, but a little quieter than before. "And don't you all be getting scared of that explosion, because the next one is going to be even bigger!"

There were loud cheers from the other group members, who crowded around their almighty leader like he was a god.

"Now meet back at the hideout. Move it!" And with these words they all scampered away into the wreckage of the slums to the west, opposite the graveyard. Cloud sighed, but picked up the pace to follow them.

After a short journey, Cloud came to the very edge of the sector seven slums after following the others through piles of scrap situated around the dirt roads. Looking up, he saw the huge column that supported the plate a hundred metres upward. It seemed so large up close, like the foot of a god trampling down on the slums as though they were garbage. A massive iron fence blocked all access to the base of the column and the gates there were locked up tight. Obviously the Shinra didn't want any interference from anyone down here.

A small girl clutched the fence tightly in awe, looking upwards towards the plate and laughing giddily. She was obviously in the same sort of awe as Cloud as she had realized that thousands of people were living up there on that metal plate, hardly caring about the world that lay below in the cesspool of the slums. Cloud had seen the people up there with his own eyes. They were ignorant and looked down on anyone who was not like them as though they were no better than animals. He had met their cold stares with downcast eyes as he had traced his way back to the gutter where they thought he belonged.

Slowly he turned away from the rock pillar and continued his journey.

After a short hike, he met up with the other members of AVALANCHE running around a large clearing surrounded by huge rock piles. A few hastily constructed buildings stood here, but they were nothing like those on the upper world. Bits of timber strewn together with a few iron supports formed the bases, whilst the roofs were just plain sheets of metal bolted together with a blaster tool. They looked as though they could be pushed over with only a slight breeze. Thankfully, there were hardly any dramatic weather conditions down here, thanks to a perimeter wall running around the entire slums of Midgar. Evidently, the Shinra didn't want anyone leaving the city without paying through the embargo. The alternative was to stay down here and pay protection money to the local crime lords.

Cloud walked forward down the dirt street and passed under the roof of Charlie's weapon and supply shop, towards an old dried up fountain in the clearing centre. He saw Biggs and Wedge chasing each other like small giddy children who had just got out of school. He sighed as he passed them and looked towards his destination, where Barret and Jessie stood.

The bar was easily the largest building around these parts. It was a newly converted farmhouse design, which was bolstered with a large neon sign above the front balcony. The place was 'Tifa's Seventh Heaven', the largest and most popular bar in the whole of sector seven and eight. It was a prosperous business here in the slums and had taken a few months to build up with the help of the residents of sector seven, Tifa had told him. She ran this place like it was the centre of the world, a perfect haven for the miserable folk of the slums who just wanted to forget their horrid lives and escape into a pint of ale.

Barret laughed aloud as he watched Cloud walked up the steps to the balcony. "Go and see your honey".

Cloud stopped and gave him an evil glare. "What do you mean by that?"

Barret slumped his shoulder against the balcony support and winked at Jessie. "Never mind. Go and head on in".

As Cloud headed through the door he was over come with the smell of strong liquor and ale. It was a relatively small bar, but very cozy, with a burning log fire on the left side of the rectangular room adding brightness to the atmosphere. A long bar stretched across the back, towards a large arcade machine in the corner of the room.

He recognized her face instantly from what seemed like a long while ago. Long black hair tipped with a red band at the very end framing her beautiful, slim line face. She wore a white, sleeveless shirt and a short black skirt with spiked braces running over her shoulders. He also noticed the spikes on the ankle of one her jet-black boots. She was a fantastic sight for someone returning home after a long hard day. Her name was Tifa, his childhood friend and another member of this AVALANCHE.

When she saw him she straightened herself up from her slouch and settled her gaze on him. He had hardly changed in all these years. Cloud still had the roguish good looks that had first attracted her to him along with those mysterious eyes. His eyes had altered their intensity since their youth, but they were still his. He remained short for male born into the world in this day and age, but still looked immensely powerful, through his athletic appearance. She was slightly afraid when she saw him standing there again, but shook off these irrational feelings almost immediately. "Welcome home, Cloud".

Cloud's eyes encircled the room. He whispered a single word softly to himself. "Home". Tifa did not hear. She walked elegantly towards him, but saw something in his shoulder armour that made her pause in her stride. "Flowers? You don't usually find them here in the slums".

Suddenly a little girl in a red dress headed from behind the counter of the bar and hid sheepishly behind Tifa, peeking out at intervals towards the stranger.

Tifa felt her small presence and looked down on her impish face. "Marlene, aren't you going to say anything to Cloud?" She watched the girl hide behind her again.

Cloud focused on Marlene for a moment and brought the flower out from his brace where he had tucked it neatly. He crouched slowly, so as not to startle her too much.

Marlene watched the strange, spiky haired man, offer her the beautiful flower, but was still unsure whether or not she should accept such a precious gift. Eventually deciding on a cause of action, she snatched at the green stem and ran away into the corner, eyeing the others suspiciously.

Cloud raised himself from the floor as the others suddenly came busting through the door in a mad rush. They all sat at a small nearby table with the exception of Barret, who walked directly over towards Tifa. She glanced at Barret uncomfortably as he leant up against the wooden table to his right. The man was intolerable, darting around everywhere in a mad frenzy, upsetting the peace all around him. He was not the sort of friend Cloud would ever like to be alongside, nor to even talk to in the street when passing. Barret was a man who was a world apart with his own ideals and beliefs, a man who was aggressive, loud and domineering. But Tifa seemed to get along just fine with him.

As soon as little Marlene saw the big man run through the door, she was suddenly full of smiles and joy such as Cloud had never seen before.

"Papa. Welcome home". She scuttled across the floor into Barret's joyous grasp and was thrown into the air happily, until she settled on his broad right shoulder.

Barret beamed. For the first time since Cloud had known him, Barret seemed happy for a change. The thought of his daughter alongside him had snapped him from his misery-laden features. "Huh? Where did you get that?" Barret grunted.

Cloud lowered his head and looked away. Here it comes.

Marlene hugged her dad's face and shoved the flower under his nose. "Cloud gave it to me".

"Oh". A meaningful pause followed. "Did you thank him?"

Marlene poked her little nose over Barret's shoulder and looked at Cloud wearily. She spoke weakly but her tone was sincere. "Thank you, Cloud".

Cloud waved and gave a smile.

Tifa spoke to the big man. "You alright Barret?"

"Great". Barret suddenly kicked out at the table where the others were sat, sipping their intoxicating liquor made by Tifa's hand. They still behaved like squabbling children, fighting over who got to sit where and who was to drink first.

Cloud expected better from them all. He wondered how old they were. They were surely no older than him, probably still in their late teens, when anything seemed possible and the world was still only as large as Midgar. Barret had a lot to answer for.

"Get in here fools. We're starting the meeting," he bellowed.

The three AVALANCHE members watched Barret head over towards the arcade machine and slap his hand down on the switch there. Engines suddenly whirred into motion as the floor started to give way beneath him. A shaft of light shot upwards into the darkened bar as a small platform in the floor descended downwards into their secret hideout.

Jessie led the others over towards the hole and they both followed her example as she leapt down into the light without fear.

Cloud watched them disappear one-by-one until he was left alone in the bar with Tifa. The place seemed a lot bigger all of a sudden as they stood alone together in the misty haze.

Cloud hated these horrible places as he preferred the outdoors, and Tifa could probably cope with this atmosphere a lot better than him, she was always much stronger. As he watched her return behind her bar to tidy things away for the evening, he realized how much she had changed. She had matured into a fine young woman, rather than the girl he remembered. His hazy memories saw an image of innocence and joy, married with a tough front that hid her inner softness. But now she seemed so much stronger on the inside as well, as though she didn't care about anything anymore. What had happened to change her? He was slightly afraid of her now. A person who was the same but yet so much different from how he remembered her. Perhaps he had also changed. What would he see if he took a long look in the mirror?

"Is something wrong, Cloud?"

In his wondering thoughts, he had hardly even noticed her watching him, studying him. What do you mean?"

She hesitated for a moment and flicked her hair back. "I guess its nothing. Maybe you're just tired".

He knew she had meant something. What it was, he would need to figure out. "Yeah," he answered.

The small lift took him down into an operations room that was hardly distinguishable from a child's bedroom. The floor was made from solid steel and had a huge table built into it that took up half the room on its own. Papers and drawings were scattered around the place as though a storm had just blown through the hideout scattering everything at random. Biggs and Jessie sat over by the table whilst Wedge was busy meddling with a huge television, reporting the disaster that had hit sector one and the horrific aftermath. Barret stood over in the back corner beating away at a punch bag with both arms. Marlene sat on a chest of draws beside him, mimicking her father's every move.

He stopped as he heard Cloud approach from the rear. The man was like a ghost, slow and creepy as he moved about with the soft breeze. Barret just didn't feel comfortable when he was about. "Say Cloud. Was there anyone from SOLDIER fighting us today?"

"No. I'm positive". He settled in front of Barret.

"You sound pretty sure". Barret took another swing at the bag, hitting it with a powerful blast.

"If there was anyone from SOLDIER, you wouldn't be standing here now".

Barret kicked off again as his pride was hit. "Don't go thinking you're so bad just 'cause you was in SOLDIER". He pointed straight towards Cloud's cold face. "Yeah you're strong. Probably all those guy's in SOLDIER are. But just remember that your skinny ass is working for AVALANCHE now, so don't get any idea's about hanging onto the Shinra".

Cloud scowled evilly and took a few steps closer to Barret. "Staying with the Shinra? You asked me a question and I answered it that's all". He pushed himself up against the big man to show that he clearly wasn't afraid of Barret and he saw a hint of fear in the man's eyes for the first time. "I'm going upstairs. I want to talk about my money". Turning suddenly away from Barret he began his walk back towards the elevator, trying to avoid the stares of Jessie and the others.

Barret was an inch away from jumping Cloud from behind and giving him a good pounding. The sight of the elevator lowering Tifa down to the hideout was the only thing that made him keep his head. Seeing her suddenly made him realize that there was more than his pride to think about.

She had obviously heard the row and was looking very worried indeed as she stepped out towards her childhood friend, seeing the anger in him that matched Barret's fury. "Wait, Cloud".

"Let him go Tifa. Looks like he still misses the Shinra".

Cloud span around angrily and met Barret's rage once again. "Shut up. I don't care about SOLDIER or the Shinra. But don't get me wrong. I don't care around the planet or AVALANCHE for that matter!" He swiped his hand out towards Biggs' planet model that was sitting on the table and knocked it flying to the floor. The little sphere went rolling over towards Barret's feet. He then pushed Tifa gently away from him and started back to the elevator. He couldn't think clearly as his mind was going round in anger, thinking of how he would like to get out of this place right now. This place made him sick, these people made him sick. He watched Tifa and the others slowly disappear from view as the shaft took him back up into the bar.

As soon as he reached the top he felt immediately guilty. Not for Barret and AVALANCHE, but for Tifa. She had put so much faith in him and had taken him in when no one else would. She had nursed him back up to full health and set him up with a job that had sounded good. He shook his head wearily with fatigue, not quite managing to picture the scene of yesterday. How had he got here? When had they met again?

He heard the grinding of the lift as he walked over towards the bar. His headache was getting worse. There had been too many explosions for his body to take and he had been worn out by the action, as would any normal person working on any normal job. He set his arm on the bar and closed his eyes as his head drooped.

Tifa's voice floated through the air like a bright angel in a weary world, sounding towards his ears in a beautiful harmony. "Cloud".

He opened his eyes and walked towards the door without even being able to place his eyes on her. She had grown so much.

"Cloud, I'm asking you. Please join us".

Cloud shook his head. "I'm sorry, Tifa". He stopped in his tracks.

She saw the image of a grown man in front of her, wanting to know his secrets and why he had returned. "The planet's dying Cloud. Slowly but surely, it's dying. Someone has to do something".

"So let Barret and his buddies do something about it. It's got nothing to do with me".

His harsh words cut through her like a knife, just as they always had when they were young. He was so different. "So you're just going to leave. You're going to walk out and ignore your childhood friend".

Cloud turned towards her and saw the pleading eyes, those eyes that desperately wanted him to stay. He shook his head again.

"You forgot the promise too".

"Promise?"

Tifa was now clearly hurt. "So you did forget. Remember it Cloud. It was seven years ago".

Cloud began to drift as he entered a mysterious slumber over which he had no control. He vision began to blur and he closed his eyes to shut it out. "Seven years ago. The well. I thought you would never come and I was getting a little cold".

The picture of a large wooden well appeared in Cloud's mind accompanied by the image of a young boy swinging his legs to and fro from the rafters. The boy looked around twelve years old, with a soft featureless face and huge blue eyes matching the colour of the sky far above. His hair was done up into huge spikes above his head and a small ponytail hung down to his shoulders. He wore an emerald-green jumper and dark trousers that smothered his small body. He looked bored and was constantly looking around him as though he were expecting someone. At intervals he threw small stones down onto the streets of Neibelheim, enjoying the sound as they crashed and rolled down the stony road. In the distance he could make out Neibelheim's gates, huge wooden things that joined together in an arch and upheld the image of their proud rundown village. One of his earliest memories had been climbing up onto the old abandoned truck to the left and swinging on those gates, causing a mad ruckus as his mother scolded him. He had been an innocent then, with none of the worries that he carried around with him today.

Tifa had climbed up the well from the rear. She was athletic and shot up the wooden framework as quick as a climbing beast. Despite her nimbleness, she looked like any ordinary young girl. She was both fair and beautiful with long black hair tied up above her head. Her green dress sparkled in the moonlight as she snuggled up beside Cloud on top of the well. "Sorry I'm late. You wanted to talk about something?"

The young Cloud raised his head towards the stars noting the delicate constellations watching over their world. "Come this spring, I'm leaving this town for Midgar".

Tifa yawned sadly. "All the boys are leaving this town".

Cloud suddenly jumped to his feet. "But I'm different from them. I'm not going to just find a job. I want to join SOLDIER and be the best there is, just like Sephiroth".

Tifa looked up at him in amazement of his liveliness. "Sephiroth? The great Sephiroth?" She smiled as she swung her legs over the side and leant back with her arms. "Isn't it hard to join SOLDIER?" she asked, sounding concerned.

"I probably won't be able to come back to this town for a while," he answered as he walked up into the bowl of the well and gazed at the glimmering water he saw there, collected by the elders of the village, including Tifa's father. He saw the back of Tifa's head, felt the emotions cling to him once more like a parasite of the mind that wouldn't let go.

"Will you be in the newspapers if you do well?"

Cloud grinned. "I'll try".

She twisted her neck back to look at him over her shoulders, the upside down image of him making her feel dizzy. "Then let's make a promise".

Cloud looked puzzled.

Tifa straightened up and turned to face him. "If you get really famous and I'm ever in a bind, you'll come save me, right?"

The young boy was speechless for a moment. "What?"

"Whenever I'm in trouble, my hero will come rescue me. I want to experience that at least once in my life".

"I…"

"Oh, come on! Promise me!"

Perhaps Tifa cared more than he thought. "Ok I promise".

As the bar became apparent once more he saw an older picture of Tifa, one that was more mature. She had changed a lot in her appearance after seven long years, but her heart remained the same, still clinging onto a past that he had forgotten so easily. Her childhood was still rampant through her mind, a conscious being that would never die, no matter how many suns passed over their world.

She saw him awake from his own world. "You remember now don't you? Our promise".

Cloud shrugged. "But I'm not a hero and I'm not famous. I can't keep that promise".

"But you got your childhood dream didn't you? You joined up with SOLDIER. You've got to keep you promise".

Cloud could say nothing. His mind was wandering once more.

They both heard Barret's booming voice once more, but the lift had not been activated. The guy was climbing up the elevator rail by hand! "Wait a sec, mister big time SOLDIER". As he appeared into the gloom of the bar, spoiling the moment completely, he sent shivers of activity blasting through the air, like the hot ashes spitting from a roasting fire. He had hardly calmed down at all in the last five minutes, and a look of fury was still on his face. "A promise is a promise. Here ya go". He threw a small brown bag towards Cloud's feet and a few dozen coins of Gil rolled across the floorboards.

A strange thought had suddenly occurred to Cloud as he crouched down to pick up the loot. He couldn't explain exactly what it was, but the feeling was good. He felt a desire once more, but didn't know how to describe it to himself. A desire was all he needed, something that had been missing for so long. He quickly scooped up the coins, but did not place them in his satchel; instead he looked up at Barret and grinned. "This is my pay? Don't make me laugh". His smile widened when he turned his attention back to Tifa.

Her expression lightened immediately when she saw the features come to life in his youthful face. "What? Then you'll…"

Cloud stood and took up a powerful stance as he had done many times before. His confidence suddenly soared through the room again as he eyed up Barret. "You got the next job lined up? I'll do it for 3000!"

Barret scowled, but it was a different scowl from the one he had on before. It was less aggressive, and more uncertain. "What…"

Tifa saw her chance to step in for Cloud. "It's okay, Barret". Her voice lowered. "Hey we're really hurting for help, right?"

Barret grunted again as he turned away from Cloud, arms crossed in a huff. "That money is for Marlene's schooling". He thought for a few moments and the others watched him desperately, waiting for a move. "2000!"

Tifa grinned and walked over towards Barret, placing an arm on his shoulder. "You won't regret it, mister leader". She tapped him affectionately before turning back to her childhood friend. "Thanks Cloud".


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

The Second Attack

It was brighter now than it had been the night before and more of the train's features had come alive. Cloud saw every dirty little corner of the compartment and realised the lack of maintenance over the years. The Shinra didn't care about the trains running down to the slums anymore. As far as they were concerned, the people below were better off forgotten, so why waste valuable money on them. It was easy to see why Barret got so upset.

He still didn't understand what had possessed him to come along a second time. He must be mad to want to attack the Shinra again so soon after the first assault. His former company would probably be doubling security from now on and it would surely be impossible to infiltrate the same way as they had done before. He hoped and preyed that Barret had better plan, but so far he had not let on.

Cloud looked at Tifa, suddenly trying to remember their life together. He hadn't slept well trying to rediscover his past and his memory was feeling jaded this morning, as it always did when he first arose. Their memories of the well at Neibelheim had filled him with a warm and glowing feeling and seemed to have filled a hole in his mind. He often tried to think back to his childhood but found the memories painful and as such, discarded them. He had been doing it for so long, he wondered if they would ever return.

Shaking off his slumber, his gaze slipped forward, down the carriage to where Barret was starting with his attitude again. The same smartly dressed man from the day before was sitting on the left side of Barret muttering away in his booklet and the huge Avalanche leader was becoming increasingly annoyed. He had hardly known Barret for a few days, but Cloud had sized him up almost immediately when they had first met. He was too full of passion and pride that made him prone to violent, uncontrollable outbursts and allowed the consequences of his actions interfere with his emotions. He was hot headed and loud, inspiring everyone around him to disperse quickly. It was hardly any wonder that the man had so few friends. He wondered if Jessie, Biggs and Wedge stuck around because they admired him or feared him.

He smiled to himself inwardly as he watched the big man. He sat on the couch of the compartment, glancing under the rag that covered his gun-arm. The arm of the guard scorpion that they had encountered the day before had allowed Jessie to create an assault gun modification for Barret's main weapon. A cartridge fed machine gun now replaced the armour shredding nail gun, on Barret's right limb. He seemed fairly happy with himself as he toyed with the switches.

Cloud turned and saw Tifa beckoning him over towards the console on the right hand side of the train.

It was the same one from the day before, when Jessie had instructed him on the ins-and-outs of the city of Midgar. He nodded and slowly walked towards her before patting her on the back gently. He twisted towards the screen and pressed the large red button in front of her.

She felt his presence close to hers and found it soothing. She didn't look into his eyes as she spoke, fearing the Mako glow within them and how it had changed him. "So you've already seen the console Cloud".

"Yesterday," he whispered in her ear. He smiled as he demonstrated his scrolling skills on the monitor.

From down the train, they could both hear Barret arguing with the man, but decided not to intervene. It was no use talking to him when he was like this. The mission into sector five spooked Barret, as it was such a long way from their hideout and this had undoubtedly made him more agitated than normal. His fears were not unfounded. They didn't want to be isolated in a part of the city notorious for its criminal activities. That would lead them straight into the hands of the Shinra spy network organised by the Turks. They were everywhere in this damn city, with their dirty fingers hooked into everything.

When the alarms suddenly began ringing through the train there was no panic from anyone at first, for it just meant that the security check systems were indeed up and running. Their passes, made by Jessie, should allow them access without any problems.

Barret quickly stopped his argument with the smartly dressed man when a frightening announcement was made, much to the dismay of them all. It was not what they were expecting. "Intruders detected in car five. Please do not move from your present position, as cars will be locked down".

Barret flung himself up from the seats and scanned down the train towards Cloud and Tifa in a rage. "What? How did they get on to us? Our passes were foolproof".

Tifa grabbed Cloud's arm and dragged him down the train towards Barret. "Hey. Where are the others?"

Cloud showed surprising resistance towards being grabbed by Tifa, as a child would be, if snatched away by their parents.

She felt him pull away from her violently, resentful of being led. She guessed that all members of SOLDIER were not used to depending on others for help, so she let it go.

Before Barret could answer Tifa, the door towards the end of the train carriage rattled open and Jessie ran through quickly. Beckoning to them all she cried out. "We're in big trouble now. Hurry, get to the next compartment!"

Her manic cries were reacted upon immediately and the three others scurried towards her, knocking over a few pedestrians on the way. The well-dressed man yelled at them loudly, angry at being carded to one side to make way for the marauding brutes.

They quickly reached the safety of the next compartment and heard the door behind them click. Turning around, Barret saw that the lights in the past carriage had altered to a flashing red beacon, signalling a warning. He knew that the Shinra were boarding the train, carriage by carriage. Someone had messed up; they had been caught out. He turned his giant head back towards Jessie and was about to speak, but she butted in quickly.

"Something's wrong with our ID's. They've been detected by the Shinra security checkpoints".

Barret growled back at her. "I thought you said they couldn't be detected? Even with the best security systems around?"

Jessie's head dropped and a sad look spread across her disappointed face. "I know. I failed".

The siren now echoed through their new compartment and the lights began to turn into the deep, flashing red. The small crowd began to look worried once more and they fidgeted around, looking through the windows onto the parallel track that zoomed alongside of them.

Cloud stepped forward. "We've no time to argue this out now. Jessie, where to next?" He saw her face light up as he spoke.

"They're scanning from the back of the train. If we keep moving forward carriage by carriage, we should get past it. If we hang around, we're likely to get trapped". She pointed towards the door at the other end.

Barret looked at the passengers who were growing panicky all around them. Getting to the other end of the train in time was going to be a nightmare, with all these people running around. "Then what the hell are we waiting for?" He jumped past Jessie and set off sprinting down the train.

Cloud, Tifa and Jessie followed his lead, but were seriously hampered by the scrambling passengers. Anyone who had anything to hide were all heading the same way, for the security teams that boarded the train were notorious for their interrogations. It was highly likely that most of the passengers heading out from the slums would be hardened criminals or petty offenders, exporting their drugs and whatever into the main city plate far above the ground. The Shinra would look upon these offences as very serious matters indeed. But at the end of the day it was AVALANCHE that they were after and they stood a good chance of catching them if they didn't hold onto their wits.

The group had travelled through three main compartments when they finally ran into trouble. There was an almighty scramble at the third door to compartment four, as the people squashed into one another trying to find a way through. The place was in pandemonium as the thought of being arrested by the Shinra got into the crowd. Even the innocents were beginning to worry, and it was all because of the AVALANCHE members.

As Barret pushed against the crowd with all his might, Cloud leapt on top of them and began a scramble across the people's shoulders. It was a rough ride, but the agile former SOLDIER member, managed to wriggle through into compartment four. Just up ahead, he saw the others, Biggs and Wedge, and signalled to them. Falling to the seat on his left, Cloud twisted back into an upright position as the crowd flocked towards the next doorway. He kicked out at them ruthlessly, knocking several people to the right side of the train.

As Barret, Tifa and Jessie were charging away with all their might, Cloud was managing to clear a path for them and eventually, the crowd dispersed back in the other direction. Cloud had driven them back with the fear of his weapon. The Shinra interrogation teams now seemed a better option than a sword-wielding maniac on the train. He grinned.

The three just managed to get through the door before it locked shut, trapping the people inside.

"Damn that was close," Barret yelled loudly.

"We're not out of it yet," Jessie answered.

The members of AVALANCHE met up at the end of the corridor, where Biggs had opened up the main cargo hold. Most of the passengers had already left the cabin, as the threat of a lockdown moved into their compartment. For AVALANCHE however, this was the end of the line.

Cloud noticed that Biggs and Wedge were fully dressed in bogus Shinra uniforms. Their plan suddenly dawned on him.

As he turned, he saw Jessie pull on her Shinra hat. It suited her perfectly and brought memories flooding back to Cloud. He remembered the proud faces of the many youngsters who had joined in the Shinra army and how smart they had all looked. When Shinra had been recruiting in the old days, many young hopefuls had set out to join the biggest corporation in the world in a whole variety of jobs. Many left to be a part of the army, whilst the smarter ones became Shinra executives. Cloud himself had been different. He had wanted fame and glory as part of the elite SOLDIER group, so he could be just like the man who he had admired since he was a child, Sephiroth. It all seemed like a distant memory now.

Looking out of the emergency door, Cloud saw the parallel track whizzing by at super fast speed. The Shinra guard train would be on their back soon, checking each compartment staring from the back. It wouldn't be long before they reached them.

Tifa turned to Barret. "You've got to be kidding. This is suicide".

Barret shrugged.

Cloud answered her quickly. "Why did you come along at all when you knew it would be dangerous?" He regretted the tone of voice that he used, looked back towards the rail.

Her eyes closed as her mind was swept away by the gushing wind outside the exit. "I felt I needed to prove myself and to test my limits". She saw that Cloud wasn't listening. She would show him. Walking forward to the edge of the exit she tapped him on the shoulder. "I'm going first".

He waited for a moment to see if she was going to back away. She looked hesitant in her body, but her eyes were focused on the track. Was she seriously going to leap from the train? He had never known her do anything like this before, although he knew she was very able.

Barret seemed uninterested as he chatted away with the others. After seeing her movements he spoke. "If you're going to jump, it's better sooner than later". He winked to Cloud, who did not reply.

Tifa focused on her landing, remembering how to fall properly. This was not an ideal situation, but there was no other choice if their mission was going to succeed. She took a few deep breaths before arching her legs and springing into the darkness from the moving train.

Cloud couldn't believe she had done it. Her mental strength was incredible. Was she trying to prove something to them all? Deciding he was next, he crossed over to the exit. He realised the train was moving a lot faster than he had first thought. Without turning, he yelled to Barret in an attempt to be heard over the screeching tracks. "You are coming too?"

"A leader always stays while the end. Get going quickly and don't go getting your spiky ass hurt. Remember this is only the beginning of the mission".

Cloud heard the words, but was not reassured. Taking a final look into the cabin, he leapt into the speeding tunnel.

The track that ran up the main central pillar of Midgar wasn't particularly wide and didn't allow much room for trains to pass by each other. All of the transports that headed from the plate down to the slums headed through this way at regular intervals, so the tunnel was not a particularly safe place to be. A small maintenance niche ran alongside the left of the tunnel, but was only wide enough for one person. Various lights and control panels sat in the niche, untouched for decades.

Heading in the opposite direction of the train from which he had just leapt dramatically from, Cloud met with up with Tifa quite quickly. She looked cheerfully optimistic and was bursting with confidence after her recent dice with death.

The atmosphere had completely changed and was eerily quiet in contrast with the noisy siren on the train. For the moment it seemed like all danger had passed.

Tifa bounced merrily towards him. "Admit you're impressed Cloud. Go on admit it; you didn't think I'd jump".

Cloud smiled softly. "We've got to find Barret".

A loud voice boomed from the darkness. "Your search is over".

Both of them turned towards the dark tunnel ahead. Barret familiar figure became quickly apparent as their eyes adjusted to the light. He was slightly dazed but in good spirits for a change. All three of them had been boosted after surviving the jump.

"Is everyone okay?"

Tifa answered him. "We're fine Barret. What's our next step?" She gripped the metal knuckle glove that sat proudly on her right hand. She couldn't wait to use it.

Barret beckoned them over to him. "We need to carry on down the tunnel until we reach the next checkpoint. Once there, Wedge says there should be a small air duct that leads straight into the heart of the reactor". He looked at Cloud. "That's a quieter way".

Cloud grinned. He was glad to hear it. Maybe there was something about this guy that made sense after all.

Barret walked a little way forward and looked into the darkness. "The others should have everything ready for us".

Tifa went to join him. "Then we're ready to go, right".

Barret then hesitated as he looked past Tifa towards Cloud. He looked strangely uncomfortable for a moment as though he was thinking about something very deeply.

Cloud had wondered when the question would be asked. He knew what was on Barret's mind.

"Hey Cloud, there's something I want to ask you".

Cloud raised his head, smelling the strong odour of soot in the old tunnel. "You want to know how to use Materia, right?"

"You got it in one". Barret chuckled.

Cloud nodded. "Come here, both of you". He suddenly remembered the strange vision that he had yesterday. It was weird that he had forgotten entirely about the Materia, until now. It was still there in his pocket, a brightly glowing orb of power, sealed under a protective layer. Pure compressed energy. He brought it out, much to the amazement of the others, who had long sought to discover the mysteries of magic.

Barret screwed up his cheek in bewilderment. "Small thing, aint it? Looks like a jewel".

"A jewel of Mako," Cloud answered. "I'm no master of Materia, but I do know one thing".

Tifa could not take her eyes off the thing. "What's that?"

Cloud waited for a moment as the strange glow seemed to intensify within seconds and the orb began to shrink and stretch along his arm. The others could only stand and stare, as the green light seemed to absorb into Cloud's body, like a cloth soaking up liquid. It was as simple as that. The glow continued to radiate beautifully, until it was absorbed completely into Cloud's forearm. His face seemed untouched by any feeling as the Materia absolved into his own body without any apparent effect. The moment was gone.

Barret took a step back, as he once again found Cloud's eyes.

Cloud licked his lips and lowered his arm. "I know that we will have to call upon the power of Materia in our fight".

Tifa had suddenly realised how much Cloud had grown, how much he had learnt over the years, and in SOLDIER. He had mastered the fighting arts of the Shinra elite and had been taught the knowledge of magic and Materia. Was there anyone who could stand against him? How powerful had he really become? Perhaps Barret had an idea, after all the two had fought side by side before. But on second thought Barret was different. He hadn't known Cloud as a child, that vulnerable, sweet young boy, who was too shy to share his feelings. She was scared of him now, more than she ever had been, but at the same time, she wanted to be by his side through all of this.

Cloud held out his hands to them both, but they were hesitant. "Knowledge of Materia is in me. You can embrace it, or you can leave it, whichever you choose, be careful, the path is different from what you've faced before".

Tifa hated Cloud's voice. He had changed so suddenly, talking about this as though it made him special and unique. Why couldn't he be himself? The person inside was the thing that made him special, not the training of magic or SOLDIER. She wanted him to believe that, she wanted him to understand. Because of this, she pulled away. "I'm not ready. I want to see this as an outsider, before I take the plunge".

Cloud nodded and looked at Barret, offering a single arm.

Barret looked at Tifa and then back towards Cloud, before raising his arm.

When the two had connected, holding onto each other's wrists, a single spark of green energy shot from Cloud's arm, to a few centimetres above the skin. Growing into beams the green slithers of Materia crept their way along the arm into Barret's own. The man hesitated slightly but did not pull away. There was a warm sensation as the beam penetrated his arm, but aside from this he could feel nothing. Then suddenly the warmth spread quickly throughout his body, like the heat from a hot blanket pulled over from head to foot. It was a beautiful feeling, like a sacred knowledge had just been learned. He felt rejuvenated, as though the years and fatigue had just passed away from him in an instant. The feeling soon dispersed as quickly as it had arrived and Barret was brought down to earth again. He shook his head and realised that his arm had been released.

Cloud stared into his face. "Be careful".

It took about five minutes of power walking to reach their destination, but it wasn't all good news. Four thick Shinra security beams ran across the tunnel in a bright yellow light. When a train or anything else passed through, the Shinra knew exactly where to pinpoint it. There was no clear way in. Barret had spoke of the small air duct that would lead them into reactor five and sure enough there was one, but it was tiny, a smelly, pitch black hole that seemed to lead to nowhere.

"Damn, man! That's what Jessie was talking about? That's one tiny hole". Barret led the others towards the small gap on the left of the tunnel and he watched Cloud bend over to examine it. "What the hell we gonna do?"

The answer was brief. "Go down".

"But damn man, that thing gives me the chills".

Tifa was studying the beams that ran across the tunnel in a whirring motion. There was no way to break them or even creep through them. This was premium Shinra equipment and was best not to be tampered with. After all they had been through; they didn't want to risk getting caught again.

Cloud dropped both feet in the hole and looked up at Barret. "Seems a wide enough slide. It shouldn't be a problem if we shut ourselves off for a minute". Without warning he concentrated back on the darkness and quickly propelled himself forward, disappearing from view in an instant.

Barret and Tifa just looked at one another blankly, both thinking the same single thought.

Cloud appeared in a small access chute just barely wide enough for a single person to crawl through. There was a strong smell of Mako emitting from the small vents around the chute, but it was not overpowering. Cloud was used to it by now, after all these years.

He shuffled his body into a comfortable position forward on his hands and knees, before beginning a long crawl to the end. He saw a ladder there that would hopefully take him further into the air ducts.

After crawling for about half a minute he came to the head of the ladder and tried his best to swing himself round into a better position. It was more difficult than it looked. Cloud had a small frame, but he still found it hard to turn in the small pipe. Barret would find it even more difficult than him, especially with only one good arm.

He path widened slightly as the ladder chute descended into further darkness, until eventually the place opened out into a small maintenance area, well beneath the complex. They should have been very close to the Mako reactor by now.

Completing his journey to the bottom of the ladder, Cloud was glad to find his footing once more on the wooden platform of the maintenance area. He didn't dare to look over the railing, just in case it was higher than he thought. He quickly remembered his experience at the first Mako reactor they had destroyed, and quivered.

Ahead of him on the platform he saw a familiar face. Wedge was looking cheerier than usual, his red cap turned backward as it always was when he was in action. Cloud had to admit that he was growing fond of the young AVALANCHE hopeful. Wedge gave him a beaming smile.

Cloud saluted back at him as he walked forward steadily.

"The others are waiting for you in the next room, Cloud. They'll show you how to get through to reactor five". He seemed to widen his eyebrows; the chubby face brightening up even more if that was possible.

Cloud nodded. "Which way now?" he asked.

Wedge had pointed to yet another chute over in the wall that looked even less appealing than the one he had already crawled through. He hoped that Barret and Tifa were just behind him and that they too hadn't slowed up.

As he wandered over towards the other hole in the wall, he heard the voices behind him. Barret's was unmistakeable, but Tifa was slightly more withdrawn than usual as she called out his name. It was as though she was becoming afraid of this place. Perhaps this was all too much for her after all. He decided to let Wedge tell them where he was because he couldn't be bothered to be shouting backwards down the tunnel. They needed to get to that reactor soon.

After some more determined crawling, through spaces no wider than a metre each way, Cloud met up with Biggs and Jessie who were cowering away in the shadows of another small chamber. At least this one had a solid floor. He stepped out onto the cold metal and crouched immediately. It was good that the others were keeping out of sight too.

That idiot Biggs straight away yelled out his name, but was shushed by Jessie who at least had some sense. She scowled at him and put her finger to her lips.

Cloud skulked over into the shadows where he squatted and set his back up against the wall.

Jessie pointed over towards a large iron door on the left side of the room relative to the tunnel from which he had emerged.

Cloud nodded and shuffled away from the wall slowly, but as he did, Jessie put a hand on his shoulder. She looked very upset all of a sudden, as though she were harbouring some deep thought.

"Cloud, I'm sorry".

"What?" he asked in a confused tone.

"The mess up on the train was my entire fault. I made your ID card special and that's why it happened". She took her eyes away from him and looked down at her knees. "I put all of my heart into it, but I failed".

Cloud hardly knew what to say. He put his hand to her face as she had once done on the train, and spoke to her softly. "Don't worry about it. When this is all over, it won't matter at all".

She didn't seem to brighten her mood at all with his words, but she forced a smile anyway.

It was at that moment, when the other two AVALANCHE members came through the same way Cloud had done. Barret squeezed through first, and was followed almost instantly by Tifa. He looked huffy and annoyed by his journey, but Cloud could probably understand this.

Jessie clicked her fingers suddenly, and Biggs whipped out a small device on her command. It was about the same size as the bomb they had used on Mako Reactor one, but according to Jessie's briefing earlier, the thing was about twice as efficient. She grabbed it and handed it over to Barret. "This thing should also clear away the residue of the post explosion that was left behind in the Mako one blast. Be sure to get a good distance away, before it hits".

Barret nodded.

Biggs suddenly shifted over towards the chute, as they were to rendezvous with Wedge. "We're pulling out now. Good luck, guys". He jumped into the hole and disappeared like a rat into the sewers.

Jessie quickly jumped to follow him and gave them an affectionate nod before she disappeared.

Tifa raised her eyebrows and flicked her hair backwards, tying it up in a bow before creeping over towards the door. "It's now or never".

Cloud was in for a shock when he reached the other side of the door and was engulfed in the enormity of the Mako Reactor. He saw the chute in front of him that led down into the heart of the reactor and various pipes crossing over and underneath it. This looked like their only way down. He took a moment to glance around to the opposite sides of the reactor and everything in between. To his right he saw the huge bowl-shaped mainframe that had been present in the first reactor, but this one looked more modern and upgraded, as though it was many years fresher. The gigantic thing stood on a metal platform with a familiar door leading towards the lift that would take them up to the surface, the way they had entered the other reactor yesterday. The steel staircase still led down to a small door that would eventually take them down into the Mako pit.

All of this was on the other side of the factory, and Cloud could only make them out through a squint of good eyesight. I would take a long jump to get over there.

"Damn it all. How the hell do we get down there?" Barret looked forward towards the chute in front of them. It looked as though they were some kind of disposal slides, where used up Mako was dumped, when all use had been extracted. "Don't tell me".

Cloud nodded, remembering the green sludge from the other day. "Fancy a dip?" He grinned and jumped onto the slide provoking a cry from Tifa, who watched her young friend leap into the unknown.

She set her backside against the cold metal and looked downwards. "Wait for me, Cloud".

"Tifa…girl, you've got to be joking". Barret crouched slightly. The last thing he wanted was to follow Cloud down into that slimy mud hole, but the ex-SOLDIER had already gone, totally fearless and totally stupid. Tifa was about to join him.

With a scream and a smile, Tifa propelled herself down the slippery metal framework and disappeared over the edge.

Barret grumbled as he forced himself to settle where Tifa had. This was not a good idea. Everything in his head was telling him he was about to make a wrong move, but he couldn't be seen to be a coward in front of that cocky young brigand. Unable to grab a hold with his gun-arm, Barret suddenly lost grip and his whole body sloped forward. He quickly shot out a hand and grasped the metal rail with all his might, screaming madly. It wasn't enough! Losing all hold, the big man slid forward and disappeared to follow the other two into the unknown.

The layout was exactly the same as in the other reactor that had been destroyed so dramatically the day before, and Cloud easily found his way towards the Mako pit and spiralling pipes that would need to be so carefully negotiated. The pumps were in identical positions as yesterday, busy sucking away at the planet's energy source like crazy, fuelling the reactors for this huge city.

It took longer this time to follow the course they had planned out yesterday, as there were three of them, heading down the ladder on the wall.

Tifa went in the middle of the other two, with Cloud leading the way. She felt strangely giddy, as she had passed over the thin pipes, trying to concentrate on her footing, which was very unusual because she had no problem with heights. She tried her best to keep to the pace, as Cloud was moving like a man possessed by something. Several times she had called for assistance, but he had already been well ahead of her, instead she had relied on Barret, who was hardly much help.

Eventually however, the three AVALANCE members landed on the metal platform, directly above the Mako pit. Cloud heard the familiar swirling of the waters below and wondered if it would have the same effect on him as it had done yesterday. He hoped not. Glancing upwards, he half expected another giant scorpion to come jumping down from the rafter as it had done the previous day, but there was nothing to be seen. He knew Barret was thinking the same, but there was no reason for anything to become activated. As far as anyone knew, they had infiltrated the place on the sly. No one in the Shinra could possibly suspect how deep he or she was in the complex, and if they didn't do anything stupid, there was no reason for them to start thinking otherwise.

Without a word, the members ran across the iron bridge towards the same mechanism they had targeted the previous day. It was almost exactly the same model as the one Cloud remembered and would provide no significant problems.

Then it happened again! Without warning, Cloud stumbled off track and into the railing as the others ran forward, towards the reactor brain. He grunted as his chest hit into the railing and his eyes met the clear blue waves of Mako, splashing around like crazy, thirty metres from his face. He coughed as he felt the sickness coming and pulled away quickly, falling to the ground with a thump. He saw a blurred image of Barret shouting in his mind but he couldn't hear him clearly. Tifa was also silent, but seemed to be yelling something also.

Then there was nothing, in an instant it all disappeared and was replaced with a new vision, similar surroundings to the one he had had yesterday, the dirty old Mako reactor with the dangling chains and the grimy cogs turning in all directions. The image was clearer now. He could almost smell the atmosphere of death all around him and he could hear the workings of the industry in the background.

He found himself lying on the metal bridge over the Mako pit of this new reactor, having just woken up there. Ahead of him, he saw the image of the young girl crying over her mortally wounded father. She was talking to the corpse as if it could still hear her, desperately seeking an answer that would never come.

"Papa…Sephiroth…Sephiroth did this to you didn't he?" She punched out at the ground and noticed the hugely long sword that lay by her father's side in a pool of blood. She grabbed at it quickly, growling with rage.

It was then that Cloud recognised who the girl was, and he scrambled backwards on the bridge in shock. It was a young Tifa!

She held the sword upright in a furious gesture. "Sephiroth…SOLDIER…Mako Reactors…Shinra…everything! I hate them all!" Stumbling to her feet, the young Tifa ran towards an opening at the end of the bridge, where a huge mechanism had once been.

The Mako poisoning had reacted again within his brain. What the hell was wrong with him? Why did the Mako get to him so much? He couldn't even begin to understand the sudden hysteria that had invaded his mind so ruthlessly.

He saw Tifa running over towards him, but he was still in a tender state. "Plant the damn thing. I need a minute," he yelled.

Barret was shocked by his tone. Cloud had always been so cool and collected; he was now a different person. The man was freaking him out. In the end he thought it best to get the job done. This sort of thing could be sorted out later.

Tifa approached Cloud as if she were going to grab him, but found a sudden fear welling up inside her as she approached. She braced herself and crouched slightly to meet his eyes. He was still bent over awkwardly, as if he had a pain in his head, some kind of parasite that wouldn't leave. "Cloud, are you okay?" It was a stupid question, but what else could she say? He was almost completely detached.

He put more distance between them, by taking a step back. Her face was constantly changing between the youthful face of his dream and the normal grown version that he had been seeing over the past few days. Her voice had not changed at all over the years, still the same sweet tones, ringing in his ears like a guiding light. It was the only way he could be sure that it was her. He slammed his eyelid shut and hit out violently, not wanting her to touch him.

It was Barret's booming voice that eventually snapped him back to reality. "Damn, man, get a hold of yourself".

When he opened his eyes he found himself immersed in the real world once more. Tifa was the same twenty year old who pushed him to join AVALANCHE. Barret stood in the background, angry that a crazy childhood friend of Tifa's would be jeopardising his precious mission. Both looked immediately tangible to the touch and responded to his voice attentively. He was back in the real world, but he had to get away from this pit. He quickly made up his mind that this would be the last time he ventured this close to the reactor depths. The Mako that was still ripe in his veins from his days in SOLDIER was reacting with him just as soon as he neared the stuff. It was best he kept away altogether.

He blinked a few times and then smiled at Tifa, seeing her bright green caring eyes staring directly into his, wandering if she could help in any way possible, but now was not the time. He couldn't explain his actions at the time, but he grabbed out at her hand in a sudden desire to be close to her, to keep her safe. Then, he slowly turned and traced their steps back over towards the ladder. Barret followed, his mission accomplished, and feeling like a spare wheel. Some things were best left until later to explain.

Strangely, AVALANCHE encountered no resistance on their way to the surface. The path was long and as hard as it had always been but the place was unusually quiet. It was true that their stealthy entrance had been pulled off successfully, but even the machines weren't running in the back ground as they had been yesterday. Where was the ceaseless drone of cogs turning in the reactor mainframe, the computer beeps controlling the pipe outflow and inflow? What about the Maintenance robots and suchlike, waiting to check any malfunction they found in the deepness of the plant? It was all too quiet. Cloud's SOLDIER senses had long since detected an abnormality in the place, an odd sensation that told him something was dangerously wrong.

There was no way that the AVALANCHE members were going to retrace there steps through the pipes again, they would never have been able to get back up the Mako waste chute, so Barret had planned on moving up through the plant's guard section at the top of the reactor and take advantage of a lapse in the early morning security. Biggs' intelligence report of prior weeks had told Barret that the sentries on post in the guard area were minimal at best around this time. Cloud wandered how reliable this information was, since it had come from Biggs' gung-ho brain. But they had no choice now. There was no turning back.

They saw the massive chute that they had gone down earlier on as they were running up several thousand steps leading up to the cylindrical bowl mainframe that would hopefully take them to the lift. Barret still couldn't believe how far he had jumped, no matter how good the cause. The thing was far from a comfortable ride from top to bottom. But perhaps it would be a good story to tell his children some day, when he was labelled as the saviour of the planet.

The route to the top of the reactor was much easier than the path they had laid out the previous day. Despite the length of their way, there were next to no obstacles meeting them. The guards were none existent as was the security surveillance and the crazy alarm systems. It was as though it got easier the further forward they went with every new gateway they opened and every new courtyard they breached, yet the easier it got the more Cloud and the others felt uncomfortable.

It was a huge relief when the small group finally got outside. The wind hit them with a gust of fresh air like a blast of hope from the freedom in front of their very noses. It seemed to all of them as though they had finally escaped from the very fires of the dark pit of Shinra that seemed to encompass them all under its spell of doom. Cloud in particular had sensed evil within its very walls, and had been affected by it in the very bowels of the reactor. He had made up his mind that this was the last job, the end of the line for him.

Barret led the way forward, the others following closely, like obedient cattle tracing the huge AVALANCHE leader's footsteps as he crossed over the communication bridge that would take them into the centre district of sector five. They were not out of the firewall just yet, but the hard part had been done and Barret smiled at the thought of another massive dent in the Shinra armour. But all was not as it would seem…

Wasting little time at all, AVALANCHE sprinted swiftly over the large iron bridge, trying their best not to look down through the grill below their feet, and the slums that lurked a hundred metres down under the fog of Mako. Their path was sure and quick, but just as they had reached the T-junction at the end of the pathway; Cloud heard the heavy clumping of feet on the metal to the group's left, followed by a heavy buzzing that upset the air down below them. Looking around at Cloud's request, the others could see nothing, but recognised the sounds almost immediately. A strange feeling circulated amongst them, as though the world was suddenly collapsing inwards towards them, wanting to trap them and hold them down to their position. Would they ever escape this infernal place?

The troops came thick and fast through the tunnel to their left and rested their guns towards the intruders. They were elite Shinra troops, recognisable by their bright blue uniforms and full-face masks with red visor. They were all heavily armed with the standard Shinra equipment that was equally effective dealing with rioters and terrorists as it was fighting the wars of Midgar. The whole army had been well trained as a unit, bred from able men and women from around the world wanting to carve their name in the Shinra hall of fame and fight for what they believed in. They were hardly as revered and feared as the members of SOLDIER, but were still the largest body of fighting men in the world and retained fierce pride and dignity in the way they fought for their commanders, and were the backbone of the entire Shinra Corporation.

Barret pushed his head forward in front of his shoulders and exclaimed loudly. "Shinra soldiers? Damn! What the hell is going on?"

Cloud answered him immediately, pushing his body against the railings as he watched the small squadron of troops train their weapons on AVALANCHE. "It's a trap".

Then Tifa saw another surprise on the bridge behind them where they had passed out of the reactor. A single man was walking towards them dressed from head to foot in a fantastic red suit that seemed to propel him into a new light. From a distance the man looked fat, but it was difficult to tell when he drew closer as his suit seemed to have a character all of its own. As the man walked in a semi-limp, he showed his considerable age that was reflected in his facial features. He had no hair on his head as such, but a shaped yellow beard hung from his chin and was met by a neat moustache of the same colour. Seeing him closer, the group saw that the lines in his face were prominent and told the story of his time on the planet. He was arguably the most powerful man ever to have existed in the world, President Shinra.

Barret looked at the man in shock for a few moments before even managing to spit out a few words. "President Shinra?"

"Why is the president here?" Tifa asked, looking at Cloud.

Cloud looked at the man as though he were a ghost, a legendary figure that had only ever been a rumour in the world. The man had grown beyond public appearance, beyond anything that they could imagine. His power had been created a long time ago, through the sweat and blood of the old world. He had created his monopoly through sheer perseverance and had grown to prominence quickly on a relatively primitive planet. Cloud doubted that anyone in Midgar or even the world had seen anything of him in the past thirty or so years. He was the brain of the Shinra and influenced the lives of everyone everywhere, but only the ones on the inside of the corporation, right up on the highest board of directors, had ever conversed with him. Still the man remained a legend, even to Cloud.

The man stopped well short of the group as they huddled near the crossroads of the platform like three cowering rats. He was slow and lingering in his movements, but his voice asserted authority to all. "So you must be that…what was it called?"

Barret watched the man make a mockery of him with his prying eyes and teasing words and it infuriated him. "AVALANCHE," he yelled. And don't you forget it…you!" He pointed his gun towards the president, but quickly lowered it as he heard the troops to the left shuffle awkwardly and he saw Cloud's arm rise.

The young mercenary took a single step forward onto the bridge and stopped, preparing to confront the man. He was surprisingly small for a man of such statue, but like Cloud, presented an aura of himself that was much larger. Through his vast experience at dealing with all kinds of people, the president looked confident to the point of being arrogant. Cloud had to admit to himself that he was impressed at the way the man conducted himself for someone aged sixty years his senior.

"Long time no see, President". Cloud's words were cold and blank.

President Shinra looked puzzled. "Long time no see? Oh…you. You're the one who quit SOLDIER, and joined this band of crazies aren't you? I've heard of you. I knew you had been exposed to Mako from the look in your eyes. Tell me traitor, what was your name?"

"Cloud". The answer was strangely subdued.

"Forgive me for asking, but I can't be expected to remember everyone's name, unless you become another Sephiroth". The president paused and looked towards his feet as if in a moment of thought. "Yes Sephiroth, he was brilliant, perhaps too brilliant".

"Sephiroth?" Cloud was astonished by his reaction as the name cropped up again.

Barret had lost his patience and yelled forwards over Cloud's shoulder. "Don't give a damn about none of that! This place is going up with a big bang soon. Serves you all right!"

President Shinra struck him off with some more cruel words, disrupting his flow with that perfect rhetoric. "And such a waste of good fireworks, just to get rid of vermin like you".

Barret replied with a vicious riposte of words. "Vermin? That's all you can say? Y'all Shinra are the vermin, killing the planet with your crazy machines. You're the king vermin, jackass!"

President Shinra shrugged casually and took a laboured step backwards on the platform. The loud buzzing that had been circulating below now grew louder as the president raised his hand. It was now fairly obvious to them all what the sound was. "You're beginning to bore me. I'm a very busy man so if you'll excuse me. I have a dinner I must attend". Within a moment a streamlined Shinra helicopter, armed to the teeth with a whole array of weapon systems, rose from the fog of the mist below the platform and flew over towards the president, manoeuvring carefully as its bright blue tail neared the railings.

Barret again began to yell and aimed his weapon once more, now ignoring the guards over by the archway. "Dinner! Don't give me that. I aint even started with you yet!"

As the helicopter leered even closer with perfect handling, the president started to walk over towards it casually. "But I've made arrangements for a playmate for all of you".

There were a few seconds of tense movements as the Shinra attack squad began to back out of the exit, sealing the door behind them. The president jumped aboard the helicopter with surprising agility for a man his age and began to chuckle beneath his large moustache. As Cloud watched the helicopter float further into the sky, Barret ran back towards Tifa who was concentrating over towards the other door. Another buzzing sound could be heard from the darkness there, but it was not as deep as the one originating from the propellers of the attack helicopter.

Then it came out at blinding speed, nearly knocking straight into Tifa. Her agility saved her, as she pressed up hard against the railings. Barret ducked as the mechanical beast hovered over him with a quick gust of air. He grimaced as he felt the pressure, wondering if this was the end.

The president stood on the helicopter, as he looked upon his creation with pride down on the bridge. He began to yell into the loudspeaker. "Meet Airbuster, a techno-soldier. Our weapon development department created him. I'm sure the data he'll extract from your dead bodies will be of great use to us in future experiments".

The machine was a huge, hovering robot, stocky and well armoured with two huge arms on either side. There did not seem to have a weapon as such, but the huge pack that it carried on its back looked horribly ominous. Its head was relatively small set on large metal shoulders. A red visor similar to the Shinra troops was set onto the front, glowing eerily every time the Avalanche members moved. Cloud noticed a Shinra logo was stamped beneath its right arm.

"Hey, Cloud, we gotta do something about him". Barret yelled.

Airbuster blasted itself forward and then stopped suddenly as Barret clung onto Tifa and dragged her backwards. It moved forward again, gradually provoking them backwards before beginning to arm itself. It had seemingly forgotten about Cloud, who was still over on the bridge where President Shinra had stood, the bridge that led back into the reactor. The right and left entrances had been sealed by the troops. Now Cloud had a fight to the death on his hands with this robot.

Tifa yelled for help. "This is from SOLDIER?"

Cloud ran quickly behind Airbuster on the bridge, scanning over the thing, whilst drawing his huge sword. "No way, it's just a machine".

Barret raised his gun towards its head. "Whatever it is, I'm going to bust it up". He fired a small salvo from his assault gun and the rain of bullets banged into Airbuster and seemed to immediately shock it.

Tifa yelled and gripped at the metal knuckle on her wrist before lunging towards the robot with fury. She executed a stunning combo of punches and kicks that had surprising effect against the soft underbelly of the machine.

Cloud swung his blade against the back of Airbuster but was immediately stopped by a huge hand that shot out of the back and grabbed his wrist. The evil small head span a hundred and eighty degrees before settling its eyes on the ex-SOLDIER. In an instant the air was filled with heat as a laser blast knocked Cloud and his sword backward to the floor. He was clearly stunned and left vulnerable by the assault.

Airbuster then shot his attention over to Barret, who was annoying his armour with some serious gunfire. Opening a hatch in its backpack, it released a small salvo of explosives that flew through the air and crashed to the ground near Barret. The man was caught in the explosion and blown against the fence, blood falling from his wounds.

As Tifa saw Barret she fell back from her assault with the horror of it all and was immediately swept aside by Airbuster's mass.

Cloud saw they were beaten as regular fighters. Their bodies were simply not powerful enough to stand against such brute force, and were not up this kind of battle with the physical powers they had been dealt. But members of SOLDIER had an edge. They were specially trained warriors that were made for this kind of destruction with every last muscle and nerve toned to create a perfect killing machine. Cloud had been made for moments like these.

He quickly shook off the shock of the blast and raised his weapon again, pointing the very tip towards Barret. As he had done before, a green film of energy materialised around Cloud's body and he closed his eyes in concentration. As time slowed to the pace of his magic, a wave of energy floated past their enemy and over towards the fallen AVALANCHE leader, whose wounds would have been fatal, had it not been for the restoring Materia that Cloud had been given in the very summit of Reactor number one. Now as he felt the power flow through him and through the invisible magic tunnel that led towards Barret, Cloud was filled with a feeling of righteousness that was nothing to do with the Materia effect. He suddenly felt good about helping someone, genuinely glad that he had helped Barret and had brought him back from the brink of death.

Barret opened his eyes again as he realised the power swirling around him and inside of him. It made him feel good and alive, a strange, uplifting feeling that warmed through him in the same way as when he first taken Materia into his own body. He slowly rose to his feet as though time had no meaning for him. For a moment he was invincible, revived by Cloud's cure spell, but the reality soon came back to life and Barret would need to fight again.

He watched as Tifa and Cloud dived back into physical combat with the machine and struggled in vain to inflict any kind of damage. There was something he could do. The Materia was his own now, a weapon that he himself could wield. He raised both arms into the air and grabbed a hold of the barrel with his good arm, whilst settling his gaze on Airbuster's head. He could feel the power slowly surging through him, like a tingling feeling that he usually sensed when he felt excitement. At the moment the power was released from his body, a gush of green light materialised around his arms like a beautiful shield of impenetrable energy that slowed down time and space for the spell caster. The lightning blast rained quickly from a small vortex in the sky that none of them could see or touch. It hit from the darkness with complete surprise and sent a shocking pulse into the machine's system and throughout its controls. Barret lowered his arms and there was a long pause as the attacks were ceased.

Airbuster's head twisted manically and sent its joints spinning crazily in unison. Mechanical arms and gun turrets shot out seemingly at random, shorting by the surge of electricity through its metal body.

Tifa had to somersault quickly backwards to avoid the thing's flailing limbs and just narrowly missed jumping into the side rail that protected her from a hundred foot fall. She landed on both feet and set her pose to a crouch as she contemplated her next move.

Barret could hardly believe the damage he had suddenly caused, but he suddenly felt drained as though he had shot some of his life out as a gun would shoot ammunition. He stumbled away clumsily, raising his weapon. It was then that he remembered the reactor bomb. In a moment this place would be utterly destroyed by a blast, twice as big as the one that had gone before. This area of Midgar would once again be gripped by the horror of another explosion and the reactor would be only a memory.

The malfunctioning robot was now bombing over towards Cloud shooting his laser at random as though it were a last ditch attempt to destroy the human. Barret's magic had sent the thing into destruction mode now and it was only a matter of time. Cloud stepped backwards as the huge, hovering mess floated towards him. He tried to shield himself as best he could before hitting back with his sword when the opportunity arose. The Buster sword tore deep wounds into the robots body and exposed vital circuitry that was sparking like crazy.

After one final lunge, Airbuster crashed into the side railing and set up in flames, blasting fires across the iron bridge, as though hell had exploded. Cloud just managed to avoid the flames but the platform cracked and collapsed suddenly under Cloud's feet. The ex-SOLDIER mercenary was dragged over by the flailing metal work, as Airbuster fell into oblivion.

Barret and Tifa rushed to the edge, fearing Cloud had gone already, lost into the foggy wilderness below and crashing down into the slums of sector five. He was still there, hanging onto the end, by a tiny spike with one hand. Behind them the massive reactor began to throw out mighty sparks from its doorways and shafts up the side of its outer shell. The chain reaction was beginning! "Its gonna blow. Let's go, Tifa," Barret yelled, grabbing the hysterical girl from the end.

She reached out to Cloud in a pathetic gesture, nowhere near his flailing hand. "Barret, can't you do something?"

He ran up and down for a moment, glancing over the frame of the platform and looking for anything of use. "Not a damn thing".

Tifa was suddenly lost in desperation as she looked down towards Cloud's sad face. "Cloud please don't die," she yelled out to him. "There still so much I want to tell you".

He struggled to grip the pipe with his other hand, but couldn't do so without unbalancing his body. "I know, Tifa," he said weakly, closing his eyes.

Barret got down on one knee and leaned over. "Hey, are you gonna be alright?"

Cloud nodded enthusiastically. "Don't worry about me; just get yourself and Tifa out of here".

Barret nodded and grabbed Tifa violently. "Cloud I'm sorry," he shouted, feeling for him genuinely.

The reactor in the background sparked away madly and flames suddenly shot out of its entrance, kicking out chunks of metal and debris. Far above the city the residents of Midgar could see the fires of the reactor explosion blasting up towards heaven through the roof of the gigantic tower. The explosion would be even greater than the last one. Down on the platform, Cloud could hold on no longer and slid into space, flying through the air like a falling stone, spat out of the giant Mako tower by the blast. He would fall a long way before hitting the ground, and the journey would seem to last an eternity, before there was darkness.

Barret just managed the strength to drag Tifa far enough away from the reactor, before the explosion sounded throughout the world and Midgar's reactor five was no more.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Chapter Four

The Soldier and the Flower Girl

She spoke to the man, but he did not respond immediately. Looking over him, she was reminded of someone from her past. It was evident from the clothes he wore and the look in his eyes as he blinked. The man was dazed, but he was certainly one of them.

She wondered how he could have survived the fall, wherever he had come from. The roof of the church had completely fallen through due to the impact, so he must have fallen from a massive distance. She was upset that he had ruined the flower patch on her floor, but was thankful that it had probably saved his life.

The church was old by Midgar standards but was a popular area for the people of the slums to gather and pray for their miserable existence to take on some bright turn. Within these walls, some people found hope for the future and they left much happier than when they had first arrived. She believed that symbolic places like this were important for the people, and tried her best to maintain it with all of her strength, for she too found comfort here. It now stood around her old and undisturbed for years as the Shinra had created their monopoly outside. The old church had remained untouched by their influence and had been a place of solitude and silence, until now…

Cloud was in a dark place, an abyss of fear and mystery. He could see nothing, but his ears picked up on the voices, gradually growing clearer as time bore on. They were coming in closer now and he could make out certain words, words that did not clear anything up at all, until… The darkness seemed to explode into a different void. He still could not see anything, but the images of sound were creating their own picture for him, invading his mind ruthlessly without remorse.

"You all right can you hear me?" Tifa's voice was unmistakable.

"Yeah," Cloud answered.

"Back then you could get away with just skinned knees".

Cloud was immediately confused. An image seemed to appear before him, but was still too far away to identify. "What do you mean by back then?"

The voice of Tifa seemed to ignore him. "What about now, can you get up".

"What are you talking about, Tifa is that you? What did you mean by back then?" The image was drawing nearer. Two figures lurked in a train station on the edge of his conciousness.

"Don't worry about me, just worry about yourself now".

Cloud was now beyond confused. He tried a different approach. "I'll try…" It was definitely a train yard he was looking at, but he could not focus in any closer than the image would allow.

Another voice then emitted from the blackness of time and space. "Oh, he moved!" The tone seemed to be differently pitched, as though it were coming from a different place in his brain.

Then it was Tifa's turn once more. "How about that. Take it slowly, Cloud little by little".

"Hello. Hello?" The other voice emitted.

"Who are you?" asked Cloud.

"Hello. Hey wake up".

The strange image was suddenly erased from Cloud's mind and the light stung his eyes as the lids opened slowly. He found that he could raise his hand to block out some of the light, but struggled to move any other part of his body. He quickly became aware of the pain in his back, but it was not too bad, a simple ache.

As soon as he opened his eyes he saw her standing there over him, like a caring nurse. He remembered her eyes immediately, the eyes of the beautiful flower girl he had seen in the slums. Her hair had been tied up since their first meeting giving her head a more defined shape. She was not unlike Tifa in her appearance, with a slim line face and petite features of unparalleled beauty, and a very definite hairstyle. Cloud saw that she wore a medium length pink coloured dress with a short brown waistcoat and scarf. The outfit looked years beyond her but she could get away with it with her beautiful figure making the dress seem almost fashionable. She smelled of fresh roses and a strong distinctive perfume that Cloud somehow remembered. He felt immediately relaxed by her presence but he couldn't bring himself to remember how or why he had come to be in this situation. It was odd what he could remember and what he couldn't.

She smiled as she had done when he had first bought the flower from her on the streets of Midgar in the aftermath of the reactor one explosion. The coincidence of this meeting seemed not to have struck her. "You okay? The roof just suddenly fell in on me. It gave me quite a scare".

Cloud shuffled uncomfortably. "I came crashing down?" He slowly began to remember it all. The reactor explosion, Airbuster, Tifa and Barret escaping from the carnage, President Shinra, Sephiroth…" He shook his head as if to get rid of the cloudy thoughts.

"The roof and the flowerbed must've broken your fall. You were lucky…" She grinned and turned away from him.

As Cloud began to focus and digest her words he took a moment to touch the array of pink flowers that he was lying on. They were barely a few inches thick from the floor and were completely crushed beneath his weight. He watched as they glowed strangely under this dreary church light. It had taken more than luck for him to survive this fall. He looked back towards the girl and saw that she was stood up straight with her hands on her hips looking very disappointed. He twisted his lip, looking very awkward. "Is this your…flowerbed? I'm sorry".

She shrugged. "It's okay. The flowers here are quite resilient because this is a sacred place. They say you can't grow grass or flowers in Midgar but for some reason they have no trouble blooming here". She fell into a short trance. "I love it here".

Cloud found her attitude fascinating. She hardly seemed to have a care at all. A heavily armed stranger had just fallen through her roof from the upper plate and had miraculously survived, but she was more worried about the effect on her church. She flitted around with hardy a care in the world, fussing over her plants as though they were small children in need of attending to.

Summoning up some strength, Cloud found that he could raise himself up into a squat. His arms were aching, but giving them a little time they were back to normal. As he waited for a few moments to shake of the last remnants of pain in his body, he watched her fussing over the beautiful flowers with fascination. When he could finally get up and stretch his legs his mind awoke fully to the old place around him. There was certainly something in these walls that didn't seem quite on the same dimensional plain as the rest of them. When he had awoken his senses he definitely felt some kind of presence in the air. These places had long since disappeared in the slums of Midgar, torn down for new land development or looted by the gangs. Cloud wondered what spirits of the past were being released into the world by demolishing their sacred homes. To be honest, he didn't like to think about it. This place gave him the chills.

The girl seemed to sense his movements behind her and turned around to contemplate the new arrival in her church. She immediately found him handsome, like a face from her past, but he wasn't the same man. He was almost as small as her and had bigger hair as well. She chuckled softly. "So we meet again. You do remember me?"

Cloud nodded enthusiastically. "You were selling flowers on the streets up above".

"And you bought one from me. That the first time anyone has bought anything so precious here in Midgar for a long time".

Cloud scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Say, do you have any Materia?"

Cloud was shocked by her directness, but she was so merry and alive that he guessed this was just her way of doing things. Perhaps she lived alone here in the slums and was hardly used to people. "Yes some," he answered. "Nowadays you can find Materia anywhere". He thought back to his reactor experience.

"I too have some, but mine is special. It's good for absolutely nothing".

Cloud was surprised. "Good for nothing? You probably just don't know how to use it".

"No I do…" She broke off suddenly, obviously in deep thought. "It just doesn't do anything. I feel safe holding onto it. It was my mothers". She looked back into Cloud's swirling eyes, finding herself lost in them as she had done with someone else a long time ago. "Say, I feel like talking. Do you feel up to it? After all, here we are meeting up again, right?"

Cloud swallowed and looked at the floor, hardly daring to gaze at her beauty for too long. "I don't mind".

She smiled brightly and skipped towards him, bending over mockingly whilst she tried to stare into his face. "We don't know each other's names, do we? I'm Aeris, the flower girl of the slums".

Cloud rolled the name in his mind. He had never heard its match anywhere in the world, as it was incredible and had a life all to itself. The girl was an angel, sent down from a place far more beautiful than Midgar. "I'm Cloud, and I do a bit of everything," he said confidently.

"Oh…a jack of all trades?" She began to laugh slowly.

"Yeah I do whatever's needed. What are you laughing at? What's so funny?" She looked even more stunning when she laughed.

"Sorry…I just…" She broke off suddenly and her face turned grave. It was odd to see her perky features suddenly dishevel up and become defiantly serious in an instant.

Cloud looked over her shoulder towards the massive church doors and soon saw the reason for her discontent. The Shinra were here! Three armed guards stood casually over by the old benches near the doorway. They were fully attired in the standard blue Shinra uniform and were armed with their standard rifles and blades. Were they here after him?

In front of the guards stood a short man, about the same size as Cloud, dressed in a smart, blue suit and posh shoes. He wore thick black leather gloves and swung a small metal rod around on his wrist. The man had a weasel face, looks spoiled by hatred and resentment at working in the slums for most of his life. His hair was brown with tints of red highlights and was spiked in such a fashion that it almost covered over his eyes. He was as young as Cloud but presented a front of maturity and intrigue on his powerful shoulders.

Aeris never turned around, but it was obvious from the look on her face that she had sensed exactly who was stood behind her in the dim church light. She began to whisper softly to Cloud, her voice full of need and desperation. "Say, Cloud, have you ever been a bodyguard? You do everything right?"

"Yeah that's right".

"Then get me out of here, take me home".

"Okay, I'll do it, but it'll cost you".

Aeris thought for a moment. "How about if I go out with you once?"

Cloud was surprised and could not bring himself to open his mouth. He nodded softly.

Cloud and Aeris slowly began to walk towards the others in the doorway and the two parties began eyeing each other up and trying to contemplate the opposition. It was Cloud who was first to speak. "I don't know who you are but…" he broke off suddenly and his mind seemed to go weak. He saw the man standing in front of him but could hardly place him in order. It was as though the man were a shadow of himself, disguising his features to all.

His mind became distorted when he heard the strange voice. "You don't know me?" The voice was feminine. Was it Tifa again? He shook his head and looked at Reno again much clearer than before. He opened his mouth. "I know you. That suit…"

One of the guards who were backing up the suited man began to mutter to one of his friends. "Hey sis, this one's a little weird".

Cloud suddenly grew angry. "Shut up you Shinra spy!"

The guard gripped his weapon tightly and whispered over to the man in the smart suit, who could not take his eyes away from Cloud. "Hey Reno, want him taken out?"

Reno's face did not move, he settled straight on the young ex-SOLDIER, not wanting to leave his face. "I haven't decided yet". His voice was the coolest Cloud had ever heard before. It was all one tone… spoken with hardly any emotion…so casual.

Aeris made a quick grab for Cloud's arm and began to tug at it strongly. "Please don't fight here, you'll ruin the flowers. Come on, the exit is back there".

Cloud was dragged around and saw Aeris sprinting towards a back exit behind the old alter that had not been used for decades. He hardly wanted to get into a scrap himself so soon after his affair with reactor five and beside anything else, this man, Reno, genuinely unsettled him. He was not afraid, but anxious to leave all the same, something about him was not quite right. After another quick look, he followed Aeris through the open doorway and into the unknown backrooms.

Reno took a single step forward and battered his rod into the palm of his hand, whilst closely examining the flowers. He noticed that the pattern in the centre was flattened and was covered with small pieces of wood from that gaping hole in the ceiling. "I wonder," he whispered to himself.

The three Shinra guards behind him began their slow walk forward.

"They were…Mako eyes," Reno said casually. He noticed the others were following him as he moved. "Okay, Okay, back to work". He skipped in front of the old wooden seats and onto the bed of roses. "And don't step on the flowers," he added.

Cloud did not know the man, but recognised him immediately as a Turk, a part of Shinra's undercover unit in the slums of Midgar. They were another of Midgar's private army units assigned to get their hands dirty where the uppers of Shinra didn't want any official involvement. All the crime syndicates that acted so independently here in the sector slums were all handled and organised by the Turks, who in turn took their orders from Shinra. Reno was obviously one of them, dressed smartly in that gangster suit; he was obviously a commander who could also command small Shinra attack units, regular soldiers who did his bidding without a word. The man looked cold and evil, just as Cloud had imagined them all to be and it came as no surprise when the soldiers followed them through the hole into the backroom.

The back of the church looked even older than the main hall they had just left. It was nothing more than a ruin, with an old wooden framework and a few old ladders leading up into the rafters. The rest of the place was filled with fallen rocks and old pieces of religious pottery that had fallen in over the years. A few old artefacts lay about but nothing valuable, for the church had long since been looted.

Aeris had had already begun to climb up the wooden scaffolding when Cloud had finally caught up to her. She seemed terrified all of a sudden, as though her worse nemesis had come to haunt her. Cloud decided it was best to run away now and ask questions later. He quickly scampered up after her, mind his step as wooden boards fell to the floor when stepped on too heavily.

Reno and the guards came running through a minute or two later, and the two escapees were already quite high up on the scaffold, well above the ground level far below. "There they are, over there," he said.

Cloud looked back as he clung to an old metal pipe jutting out of the wall. Aeris was just behind him, looking over his shoulder. "Looks like they aren't going to let us go".

"What shall we do now?" Aeris whimpered in a terrified voice.

Cloud put his spare hand on hers and smiled. "Well we can't let them catch us can we? Then there's only one thing left". He put his hand up to the hilt of his sword. "I'll hold them off, get moving".

She shook her head. "I can't leave you here alone. This is my problem".

Reno was not waiting around for the two to make any kind of decision on their escape. "The Ancient is getting away! Attack! Attack". At his command, rifles were raised and fired. Bullets zipped through the air and thudded into the scaffolding all around Cloud.

"Ayah," Aeris yelled as the wood gave way beneath her feet and slumped down through the cold, musty air of the back church. She then lost on the wooden railing that gave way with her weight.

Cloud yelled and rushed his arm out to catch her, just managing to do so in time before she fell to her death. "Hold on Aeris, I'm going to get you out of here". He struggled to pull her up with one arm but eventually managed it after slamming his whole body weight backwards to the floor of the scaffold. He felt her arm grab onto his chest as she swung her feet back over the side.

The bullets ceased as Reno and the guards began their pursuit up the ladders towards the tow escapees. It wouldn't be long before they were on top of them.

Cloud saw that they weren't far from the rafters up above, where he saw an escape hole in the roof where the wood had fallen through, and also something else that caught his eyes. Aeris was just as eager to get moving as he was, and the two rapidly made their assent up into the very top of the church.

Once there, Cloud noticed the barrel he had seen was indeed in and ideal position. Cautiously he skipped along the long pieces of support would that stopped the whole church from falling in and pressed up against the side of the barrel, waiting and biding his time. He saw Reno and others were already on the platform below him and were raising their weapons in anger towards him. With a swift push he managed to knock the barrel just enough, and the whole thing came tumbling down. One of the guards was crushed instantly beneath the weight of the thing, but as the huge mass of wood crashed through the rotten platform below, a huge hole opened up and Reno as well as the others were sent sprawling into the air, crashing through to the ground, where they would be buried with the rest of the rubbish.

Cloud was glad to have the fresh air on his face once more as the two young people stepped out onto the church roof on this beautiful late afternoon. There was nothing above them but the massive plate of upper Midgar, but in the distance they could see the outer world through the clear gates where no one ever passed through. How these people would have loved to step out into the open and see the sky for once, feeling the freedom rush through their veins for the first time in their lives. But the people couldn't afford that passage; most couldn't even afford a ticket to get to the upper plate. They were trapped in a prison, never to escape.

The city of the slums of Midgar stretched on for miles all around them and everywhere was the same, desolate dust roads, bordered by cheap shanty style housing and roughly constructed landmarks. The place looked like a gigantic scrap yard, a rubbish heap for the futuristic city up above with all its neon lights and sky scraping towers. The places were worlds apart, but this had been the original city, a time from before the Shinra and long before Cloud had even been born. He had heard that the President of Shinra had been born somewhere in the old city about eighty-odd years ago when Midgar had been a single town, but this was a rumour bound in history, no one would ever know.

Aeris breathed heavily with the exertions of the past few moments. "Ha," she said. "They were looking for me again".

This had surprised Cloud, for he had half expected the group to be a search team trying to trace his whereabouts after his terror assault on the reactor. He wondered how Barret and Tifa were doing all of a sudden. Strange that he hadn't thought about them until now. Aeris's words suddenly came back into focus. "You mean this is not the first time they've been after you?"

"No," she said sadly.

"They're the Turks, an organisation in Shinra. They scout for possible candidates for SOLDIER".

Aeris smiled weakly. They had obviously not dented her spirit. "This violently? I thought they were kidnapping someone".

"They are also involved in a lot of dirty stuff on the side," answered Cloud trying to dust himself off as he propped against the church roof. "Spying, murder…you know".

"They look like it".

Cloud adjusted his sword once more, growing finally annoyed at lugging the great thing around with him. "But why were they after you? There must be a reason, right".

Aeris shrugged. "Not that I can think of. Maybe they believe I have what it takes to be in SOLDIER".

Cloud smiled at the thought. "Maybe you do. You want to join?"

Aeris backed away from Cloud and looked passed him towards the pile of scrap that led off deeper into the slums. "I don't know. But I don't want to get caught by those people either way".

"Then let's go," Cloud whistled as he jumped onto the pile of iron propped up against the old church. He scouted out a series of steps that would lead them further onwards and allow them to avoid the road if need be. They would eventually meet with the crossroads of sector five and sector six slums, where they could decide where to go next.

After a few minutes of skipping amongst the rubble, Cloud heard Aeris' flailing voice lagging behind.

"Wait, wait Cloud. Don't leave me".

He saw her struggling to keep up, as she carefully had to contemplate each jump before she made it. She was puffing heavily and was obviously tired with the journey. "Funny, I thought you had what it takes to be in SOLDIER".

"Oh, you're terrible!" They both laughed as they had a breather, hardly worrying that they might be followed anymore. "Hey Cloud, were you ever in SOLDIER?"

The question cut through him like a blade, raking up a past that was long since dead and buried. "I used to be, how did you guess?"

Aeris paused. "Your eyes," she said eventually. "They have a strange glow".

Cloud tried to remember, but for the life of him, he couldn't. "That's the sign of those who have been infused with Mako. A mark of SOLDIER, but how did you know about that?"

Aeris shrugged again as she brushed her hair back the way Tifa did it. "Oh… nothing".

"Nothing?" Cloud knew she was hiding something now.

"Right, nothing. Let get going Mr bodyguard".

It took then a good ten minutes to reach the crossroads that Cloud had seen in the distance. There was no one to be seen on the roads as the evening bore on into darkness. The lights on the underside of the plate would be going out soon and the natural light from the sides of Midgar was dimming by the hour.

Cloud skipped off the last piece of metal and was glad to have his feet back on the ground once more. He kicked the dirt in appreciation as he watched Aeris take her time on the last few steps.

When she reached the ground she faced off in one particular direction leading towards a small centre village deep within sector five. "Whew, finally made it off. My house is over this way, lets hurry".

Cloud watched her run off without a moment of thought and he sighed to himself heavily, wondering what he had got himself into. He followed wearily not wanting to draw too much attention to himself as he entered to small hamlet.

There were a few houses around and a few shops that all looked the same. Dogs and cats ran around the street at random, seemingly not belonging to anyone. An old man and his son watched Cloud mysteriously as he walked, keeping a close eye on his movements as he crossed their centre following the young girl. He passed under the sign of the weapon shop and decided he would visit them later if he got a chance. The glowing sign was the most attractive part of this small centre and easily stood out to his eye. Cloud then watched as Aeris traced a small path that ran beside a caravan into another very brightly lit area.

A woman was busy doing her washing outside the caravan and smiled brightly as Aeris came whistling past, but all Cloud got was a dirty look. He couldn't bring himself to return the stare and kept his head firmly pointed downwards towards the dirt. He crept past without even a whimper but the woman's hard look did not fade.

He came out into another massive area separate from the rest and centred with a huge stone house that looked far above and beyond anything he had ever seen in the slums of Midgar. It looked ancient, like a relic from the old days when people down here could see the sky and was fashioned like a time-honoured mansion of yesteryear. It had an old fashioned, reinforced thatched roof and rustic wooden frames supported the stone walls that were covered with pink blossom and flower baskets made of wicker. A large, sprawling garden spread across the side of the house and were filled with a large variety of exotic plants and trees that were obviously not native to Midgar or anywhere around. Cloud was both amazed and confused at the prospect of their being such a place in the middle of slums. It was fairly obvious where Aeris' interests lay.

Cloud immediately contemplated the old, oak door and noticed the welcome mat that completed the effect of a quiet country house. It was as though this place had come straight out of a storybook and located a little niche right in the heart of this low-down district of poverty.

Cloud was overcome by the fresh smell of citrus fruits and sweet flora as he crossed over the doorframe and stepped into a large kitchen place that doubled as a main sitting room. Towards the back there was another large door that led further into the house and a sizable staircase that led up the wooden balcony that was marked once more by hanging baskets. An aging woman wearing a long, traditional dress stood by a table affectionately hugging Aeris whilst glaring with confused eyes over towards the doorway where the stranger had entered. Cloud felt immediately uncomfortable and tried his best to disguise the huge sword on his back. He stood awkwardly for a moment or two before the two separated from their embrace.

"This is Cloud, Mom, he's my bodyguard". Aeris' voice was once more full of zip and happiness, but it was hardly surprising when taking into account these sorts of surroundings.

Aeris' somehow reminded him of someone from his past but he couldn't quite place her. Her voice and the way she fretted were very similar to a person from his past. "A bodyguard? You mean you were followed again? Are you all right? You're not hurt are you?"

"I'm all right, I had Cloud with me". Her smile dimmed as she picked an apple from a bowl in the middle of the table.

For the first time, Elmira looked towards the stranger as an actual person, not some ragamuffin who had wandered in off the street. Her face did not soften and her voice did not change but she was obviously appreciative. "Thank you, Cloud". Elmira then turned and walked over to the old antique stove, where something was cooking. She looked rather distressed.

Aeris took a bite from her apple as she stepped forward. "So what are you going to do now?"

Cloud switched his gaze from Elmira to Aeris, looking very serious. "Is sector seven far from here? I want to go to Tifa's bar".

"Is Tifa…a girl?" she asked playfully.

"Yes".

Aeris had to pry further. "A girl…friend?"

Cloud shook his head manically, looking rather stupid.

"Well there's no need to get that upset," she chuckled. "Well now, let's see, sector seven. I can take you there".

Cloud shook his head again, less severely this time. "You got to be kidding. You want to put yourself in danger again?"

"I'm used to it".

Cloud didn't doubt that for a moment, but he still wasn't about let Aeris rush into any kind of dangerous situation just for him. Cloud could look after himself. "But you're just…"

"Just what? A girl? You expect me just to stand by and take something like that?" She jutted herself backwards and faced Elmira once more. "Mom, I'm taking Cloud through to sector seven, I'll be back in a while".

Looking understandably worried, Elmira's words were full of anxiety. "But dear…" She paused. "I give up. You never listen once you've made up you mind. But if you must go, why don't you wait while tomorrow, it's getting late now".

"Yeah, you're right Mum". She put her arms out to embrace Elmira once again, but the affection was made with much effort on Elmira's part.

"Aeris please go and make up the bed".

Then the young girl skipped off to a hummed tune towards the wooden staircase that led up the balcony, her eyes smiling brightly towards Cloud, who still stood in the doorway like and idiot.

When the two were finally alone in the kitchen, Cloud nodded awkwardly at Aeris' mother and walked slowly further into the room, planning on following the flower girl.

"That glow in your eyes, you're from SOLDIER right?"

Cloud stopped and saw that Elmira could hardly look him in the face. "Yes," he answered. "Rather used to be".

"I don't clearly know how to say this. But could you please leave here tonight, without telling Aeris?"

Cloud didn't do anything for a moment or too, allowing the atmosphere to settle in the place. He nodded and left the kitchen.

Aeris was waiting for him at the top of the staircase with a pillow in hand, beaming at him. The whole landing area was just as elaborately decorated and maintained as the rest of the house, but still maintained the same rustic charm and character that had been built in since the very foundations had first been laid. As he stepped over towards her he noticed a loud creak beneath his feet in the floorboards and made a mental note for later.

"We have to go through sector six to get to sector seven and Tifa's bar. Sector six is a little dangerous so you'd better get some rest tonight".

He nodded as she spoke the words, almost left in a trance by her voice. As he took the pillow, she walked away.

"Good night, Cloud".

Cloud didn't know what time it was, but the dreams had come back to haunt him again. The curious voice that he thought he had left behind long ago came back into his head again swirling around in his mind like a goddamn nightmare. He had tossed and turned for hours but they wouldn't go away.

"Seem pretty tired…"

"I haven't slept in a bed like this in a long time," Cloud remarked to himself.

"…Ever since that time…"

Cloud lay sprawled across the bed in the old room. The mattress was soft and coloured in bright blue with an elaborate pattern of delicate waves and fishes. He felt more comfortable and relaxed, as he had done in a long time

A woman stood by the bed looking over him with a bemused smile. "My, how you've grown, I bet the girls never leave you alone".

"Not really," Cloud answered.

"I'm worried about you; there are a lot of temptations in the city. I'd feel much better if you'd just settle down with a nice girlfriend".

Her motherly voice was lost on Cloud, who just lay there in a sort of trance.

"You should have and older girlfriend, one that will take care of you. I think that would be your perfect type". She smiled before slowly starting to disappear; her body became a shadow, fading into memory.

"I'm not interested," Cloud stated. His whole body and mind merged into one, twisting into a strange vortex that left him feeling sick and giddy. The images in his mind suddenly disappeared until only a gaping hole was left. Cloud awoke.

The room was dark and dreary like the inside of some old box left stagnant for years. Most unlike the rest of the house, this spare cupboard bedroom was hardly ever used and had been left to rot in one corner of the place. Still, it had been decent of Aeris and her mother to put him up for the night.

He scratched the back of his neck as he yawned. "Must've fallen asleep," he mumbled. Cloud stretched out his legs and felt them slowly unwind adjusting to the real world after their exertions in the dream. How long had he been under? Long enough for it to grow dark outside. Perhaps it was in the early hours.

Rising to his feet, he got to thinking about the situation. Aeris was going to guide him back through to sector seven in the morning, but he didn't want to put her in any danger again. Aeris was brave and was obviously used to life in the slums, but she was hardly a fighter. He couldn't ask her to come along any further. Sector seven was just past sector six, so he should be all right.

As he crossed over to the door, he saw his sword sitting against the wall, looking at him almost as if it was crying out to him. The attachment had never struck him before; it was almost sentimental. Without another thought he clasped the huge thing to his back and was then ready to set out.

The door was deathly silent as he crept out onto the landing and eyed up the creaky floorboard near Aeris's room. The place was very dark and quiet, like a crypt in a graveyard. It was amazing how the house had lost its bounce and vitality in this light. He slowly traced the balcony over towards the wooden steps and passed down into the kitchen, keeping an eye out for anyone lurking in the shadows. It took only a few seconds to cross the kitchen and slip out through the front door.

Surprisingly for the slums, the early morning air was quite cool and refreshing to his face. Everywhere was dark except for a few signposts that glittered like little stars over the shop doors of the hamlet down the road, but soon the sun would be out and the underworld of Midgar would be lit up again like an electric light bulb ready to be warmed up into action. He winced as he looked down the paths that he must take through to sector seven. Dawn was no guarantee that the slums would be free of troublemakers and he would need to tread cautiously.

Passing by the weapon shop, he remembered his promise to re supply there, but then again he had not bargained on returning before first light. Shopping would have to wait for a more suitable time.

As he walked steadily, trying to stay to the edges of the houses, he got to thinking about the beautiful flower girl and what she signified to him. He had never met anyone like her in his life as far as he could remember, and she fascinated him to the point of distraction. Every wink in her eye and the sweet smiles that she sent around with no effort whatsoever, told him immediately of her personality and how different they both were from one another. Aeris' outlook on life was positive and emotional, she embraced the cards that she had been dealt and tried her best to inspire optimism and happiness to everyone she encountered. Cloud on the other hand was dark and elusive, not wanting to reveal himself to anyone, and to keep the persona inside his body. It was not for anyone else to see.

He came out of the little hamlet within five minutes and looked both left and right. Upwards to the left, he saw the great pile of scrap metal and rubble that they had both crossed yesterday in their great escape. To the right was the path he wanted, the path that would lead him back to Tifa and Barret and AVALANCHE.

He wondered if he would ever see her jewel-green eyes looking at him again. Aeris was the mysterious girl from heaven, born in the slums of Midgar and someone who deserved something a whole lot more.

She knew he would be here, sneaking away in the middle of the night, like some reclusive escapee. She saw the figure approach a stroke past two. He was a short, but lean man of about twenty years, handsome and roguish, with huge spiky hair and unnatural blue eyes. Cloud was making a run for it as she had suspected. Seeing his surprise as the two figures closed together in the dim light delighted Aeris thoroughly. "You're up bright and early".

Cloud could hardly believe the chirpy voice was here and was almost angered by its presence, but in a small way relieved. "How could I ask you to come along when I knew it would be dangerous?"

Aeris' face slumped, growing increasingly annoyed by Cloud's protestations. "Are you done? We have to go through sector six now to get to Tifa's Seventh Heaven. So hurry up".

Behind where Aeris was standing was a monumental cracked stone archway marking the divide between sector five and sector six. Imprinted on the archway was a colourful Shinra logo that the president had put up in the early days of the city, long before the building of the plate. It had since been scandalised by graffiti of all shapes and sizes mocking their masters who lived high above. Perhaps this crumbling foundation was the sign for a new age to begin, an age where the Shinra would fall.

The two were like shadows as they passed into an almost deserted part of sector six. The place wasn't much different to the cascades of iron and scrap that hand been dumped in the slums in other sections, but the background was made all the more menacing by the dim flickering lamps above, that gave the area a solemn graveyard sense. No one had lived here in the rubble for decades, and the path was rarely used anymore. There were easier, less dangerous paths to cross between sectors now and although this way still remained, it was regarded as a closed door, forbidden to all. But Aeris, a girl of the slums for many years knew every back exit down here, secret paths, dangerous lanes, and the lot.

Cloud had several times fallen behind to admire the sheer mess and squalor that lay all around him. The ground had once been a tarmac road built as a solid means of transportation in the old days, visible markings of white paint still lay transfixed to its face, cracked and faded by time. The road had been separated by a huge void in the middle and little chasms snaked away from this centre and across the ground towards his feet. Mass weeds and dirt had protruded through the surface at intervals and greenery had almost completely covered certain patches. Several vehicles of unknown time or origin lay in the gutters of the old street or sat in the main chasm, disused and lifeless from a time even before his birth. They were antiques, ancient machinery cranes that had long since been forgotten for what they were. The whole street did not seem to be a straight run, fallen buildings on either side had given the road uneven shape as huge boulders of stone and brick lay in the street covered by dirt and overgrown as permanent mounds on the way. A hideous metal hand stretched from one end of the street to the other, mounting a factory crane that served as a bridge over the small chasm. Why that thing had been here Cloud could only guess, but it seemed intentional. The hand was defiantly one of the more modern editions to this scrap yard of civilisation.

Skipping over the rubbish with glee, Aeris looked back at Cloud as he lagged behind, trying to contemplate his footing in the dark. She herself had known this route for years, and knew her every step whatever the time of day. How the tables had turned!

Cloud saw her pause as she stood on the great hand, right in the centre of the palm like a prisoner who would be trapped if she moved, even with the slightest flinch of her body. He saw that she was silently mocking him, waiting for him to catch up, so he made the effort.

As they neared towards the end, Cloud saw a long gate approaching them slowly, a thin metal grail, blowing gently in the breeze. A path led through the gates into what seemed like an old playground. Cloud could even see the swings on a metal rail and a tiny climbing frame, set on a padded floor. Jumping from a wooden plank, serving as a downward bridge, and through a minute or two of light jogging, they reached the playground.

Aeris turned towards him as she stopped suddenly and looked into his eyes sadly as if the place held some poignant memories for her. "The gate to sector seven is in there".

Cloud looked over her head and saw the huge doorway in the back that served as the main entrance through to sector seven. In between him and the door, the little playground stood, abandoned for years like the rest of this miserable place. A few swings creaked on their rusty chains, as the breeze in the air picked up suddenly. The small climbing frame was shaped into a dome, with the iron bars crossing at regular interval, broken as they had aged. A large Mog-shaped head sat in the dirt spitting out a long curvy slide that ended in a pile of old dust. The thing was a dim white, tarnished over the decades and chipped in places, revealing the grey metal beneath that it was made out of.

He scanned back towards Aeris uncomfortably. "I guess this is goodbye then. Thank you very much. Are you going to be okay?" He looked as serious as ever, still not sure how to gage his mood when he was near her.

Aeris pouted her lips, thinking. "I'll be fine, but Cloud…" It was her turn to feel uncomfortable. "Let's take a break". She turned and spoke quickly, running towards the Mog. "I can't believe its still here," she exclaimed loudly.

The Mog was basically a huge imaginary creature, popular in the world of folklore all over the planet. Most of the stories these days involved one Mog or another, how they lived and what they got up to in their little lives. They were imaginary of course, but one could hardly tell the difference these days. They were more popular than most of the creatures roaming the planet anyway and Cloud just had to wander if they ever really existed at one point. They were huge fat creatures, coming in a variety of gaudy colours with long pointy feet and arms. Their heads were long and fat with short, stubbly ears and slit eyes of solid black. Two sharp teeth on their lower jaw shot upwards out of the mouth and gave the creature a fearsome, yet at the same time, a cute appearance. Mog's could usually fly and had wings of varying sizes on the backs of their shoulders.

Cloud followed Aeris to the Mog slide and was immediately caught up in its appeal straight away. As Aeris climbed the ladder on the back between its wings, Cloud took a run up the slide and flipped himself to the top of the head, meeting Aeris as she tripped on the last step. For a single moment, their two noses were almost touching until both shuffled apart uncomfortably.

Aeris was the first to break a long silence that had relaxed them both. "What rank were you?"

Cloud's mind was shattered again, breaking the peace of the last few moments. "Rank?"

"You know in SOLDIER".

"Oh I was…" In a second, his mind flipped, seemingly sending a shockwave through his entire body and blinding him for a mere half second. "…first class".

"Aeris pulled her knees up to her chest. "Just the same as him".

"Just the same as who?"

Aeris took a noticeable pause as though she were waiting for the right breath to divulge the information the Cloud. "Just the same as my first boyfriend".

Cloud nodded and looked down at his boots. "You were…serious?"

Aeris shook her head. "No. But I liked him for a while".

"I probably knew him, what was his name?" Cloud asked, trying his best to seem interested.

"It doesn't really matter". Aeris then fell silent, like a barrier had just passed between them. That was the end of the conversation, a sudden and powerful halt.

A soft wind suddenly disturbed the air and a soft chugging noise could be heard form behind. Cloud was the first to turn around and look. A Chocobo bird was pulling an elaborate, but old-fashioned carriage along the dusty road near the sector seven entrances. The bird was tiring but the whip master was not letting up today, as he gave the bird a good thrashing. Aeris also looked now to check out the scene. This was something that was very rare in Midgar, an actual Chocobo. Cloud had seen one before, but never this tame. They were strong seven-foot birds and would have no trouble pulling a carriage like that, but it was hardly what they were suited for, they lacked the temperament for such a job. Someone with a lot of money must have imported the creature from the outlands, as it would have been almost impossible to bring one in by any other means. Then Cloud saw something that shocked him. As the carriage slowly went by, he saw the slender figure of a girl leaning over the back of the cart, staring randomly into space. She was about twenty years old with long, shimmering dark hair, tied up in a bow. She was scantily clad in a tight fitting purple dress and high shoes. Cloud recognised who the person was immediately and saw that as soon as they had set eyes on each other, she did too!

Aeris rose to her feet and dusted herself off.

Cloud did the same. "Tifa…where are you going?" he said quietly.

Aeris shot her glances between the disappearing cart and Cloud, a look of wonder transfixed to her face. "That was Tifa?"

Cloud looked at her.

"Oh no," she said solemnly. Without a moment of thought she jumped back onto the ladder and scaled down it quickly, running off into the dirt when she had reached the bottom.

Cloud saw she was going after the carriage, and figured very quickly that something must be deadly wrong for Aeris to be in a panic. He leapt quickly to the ground from a standing jump, rolled once and set off to follow her.


End file.
